Hot Dish Review

Three (OK, maybe 5) little words that equal big deliciousness! This recipe comes courtesy of BB, or more precisely his little girl, who spotted the lobster at Costco and suggested making lobster mac ‘n’ cheese. She grabbed the white truffle oil as an afterthought. Oh, and by the way, she is five!

He brought me a casserole dish with a big serving that I reheated in the oven….just didn’t seem right to put lobster in the microwave. Rich, decadent, just plain awesome.

Although he cooks by heart, as trained chefs generally do, I asked him to write down the recipe for me (and you!). Here it is, only slightly edited:

LOBSTER MAC & CHEESE

1 box of medium pasta shells, cooked
1.5 lbs cooked lobster meat (tails and claws)
3 cups of milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 stick of butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 oz. shredded gruyere
9 oz. shredded extra sharp white cheddar
2 oz. shredded extra sharp yellow cheddar
2 oz. shredded fontina
White truffle oil
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 1/4″ slice of pancetta, diced
1 whole nutmeg
Fresh black pepper
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions, drain and drizzle with truffle oil to prevent sticking.

In a large saute’ pan, cook the pancetta until brown. Set aside and reserve the fat. Cut the lobster meat into bite-size pieces and squeeze excess water from it.

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and heavy cream, not allowing it to boil. In a large heavy pot, melt butter along with 2 tablespoons of the truffle oil. Whisk in the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. (Chef’s note: “In the past, I’ve made the roux with true truffle butter, but time constraints forced us to improvise with the butter/oil mixture”). Still whisking, add the hot milk and cream and cook for another minute or two until it’s smooth and thickened. Fold in the gruyere and white cheddar, mixing well, until you have a smooth, creamy sauce.

Grate in about 3/4 of the nutmeg and about a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, mixing well. Add the pasta, stirring well, then fold in the lobster. Lightly coat the inside of a 9 X 13 casserole dish with oil and pour in the mixture. Sprinkle the top with the shredded yellow cheddar and fontina.

In a small bowl mix the panko with the cooked pancetta and its cooking fat. Top the casserole with the bread crumb mixture and bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until brown and bubbly.