Lobster Mac

Every Friday I come up with a weekly menu and grocery list so that we have a plan for the week and can avoid multiple trips to the store.  When I asked M for any meal requests, he suggested a lobster mac and cheese.  I dug around for some recipes before deciding to just tweak a regular mac and cheese by adding some onions, garlic, and, of course, lobster.   The result was pretty fabulous.

Ingredients:
2T butter
1 medium shallot, chopped fine
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1.5 cup half and half
0.5 cup milk
salt and pepper
4 cups shredded cheese
10 oz pasta
lobster (~16 oz- see below)

Prep meal by cooking pasta and lobster.  We planned to purchase lobster tails at Publix but quickly realized it would have been $25+ and weren't thrilled about spending that much just to put it into a pasta dish.  Instead, we purchased a frozen pack of pre-cooked lobster (8 oz for $8.99).   The meat was great but we agreed we could easily have added another package for a more lobster-filled pasta. Cook the pasta for only 8-10 minutes as it will continue to cook in the oven. 

Shred the mixture of cheese to total about 4 cups.  We grated 8 oz of sharp cheddar, 3 oz of white cheddar and 2 oz of gruyere.  The gruyere was pretty stinky but added a good bite without being overpowering. 

The first step was to saute the shallot and garlic. 

Melt 2T butter in skillet over med-low heat.  Add shallot and cook 4-5 minutes until slightly tender.  Add in garlic and continue to cook while stirring for a few more minutes. 

Add 2T flour, salt and pepper and whisk continuously until smooth and bubbly. 

Pour in milk and cream, bring heat to medium-high and whisk continuously until boiling.  Continue stirring while boiling for 1 minute before removing from heat. 

In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta, milk mixture, shredded cheese, and lobster. 

Stir to combine and pour into baking dish.  Top with a fine layer of panko and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

This is definitely not a light, everyday meal but paired with some fresh greens (and a hard run earlier in the day) it was a fun weekend treat.