Lobster Mac & Cheese

By shauna

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Cavatappi Or Elbow Macaroni
• 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, divided
• 1/2 C. All-Purpose Flour
• 4 C. Milk (skim is fine)
• 12 oz.(4 C.) Gruyere Cheese, shredded
• 8 oz. (2 C.) Extra Sharp Cheddar, grated
• 1 tsp. Kosher Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
• 1 1/2 lbs. Cooked Lobster Meat, cut into 1/2" chunks (using frozen lobster tails works fine; thaw first then steam for approx 12 min)
• 1 C. Panko Bread Crumbs

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375. Set aside a 13"x 9" baking dish or 6-8 individual gratin dishes. Cook pasta in lg. pot of boiling, salted water, but reduce cooking time by 3 min. (it will finish cooking in the oven) Drain pasta well & return it to the pot. Meanwhile, melt 6 Tbsp. of butter in med. saucepan over med. heat. Whisk in flour & cook for 1 1/2 min, whisking constantly. Slowly whisk the milk into the flour-butter mixture (roux) till no lumps remain. Heat the milk, stirring frequently till it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon & starts to bubble in the center of the saucepan (approx 5-7 min.) Once it bubbles, let it cook, stirring the bottom of the pan to prevent burning for 2 min. Off the heat, add in a handful of cheese, stirring it into the milk with a rubber spatula till completely melted; repeat with remaining cheese. Stir in salt, pepper & nutmeg. While the mixture cooks, melt the 2 remaining Tbsp. of butter in a lg. saute pan over med. heat. Toss in the bread crumbs with the melted butter & toast them till they are golden brown, stirring occasionally at first then frequently towards the end. Remove the pan from the heat & set aside. Add the lobster meat into the cheese sauce, then add the mixture to the pot of cooked pasta. Mix together well, making sure everything is well coated. Transfer to baking dish(es) & place it/them on a baking sheet to avoid spillage on the bottom of the oven. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over top & bake a lg dish for 45-50 min. & the smaller dishes for 30-35 min, till it is hot & bubbly. Cool for 10 min. before serving.