I love lobster, and I love mac and cheese.  Combine the two of them and I’m drooling.  Over the past year I’ve seen this lovely concoction popping up in upscale restaurants all over Boston (and I’m sure other cities as well!) so when Mike’s dad gave us some shucked lobster he had frozen It’s all I could think of.  And you know me… I went with one of Barefoot Contessa’s fool proof recipes. Her mantra of simple and high quality ingredients was key here. You really cant sub for imported Gruyere or the home made fresh bread crumbs. They made all the difference.

Ina love’s her butter. And her cheese.  This recipe had a whole lot of both, but boy was it delicious.  The thing about something like Lobster Mac and Cheese is I know I’m not making it every weekend…so why not just make it right the first time around?

We had more lobster than the recipe called for, and since our meat was previously frozen I decided to just toss it all in there. The result was heavenly, we had delicious chunks of lobster in every bite. Mmm.  Cavatappi Pasta, Gruyere, Extra Sharp Cheddar, Milk and Nutmeg were the key ingredients in this dish. The nutmeg really added a certain something special, however  I did cut back on the amount that the recipe called for.  I happen to love nutmeg but half a teaspoon is a whole lot. This dish got rave revews by mike, and a few of our friends as well so if you happen to have left over lobster (or just want to make some gourmet mac) this is definitely the way to go!

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil
• 1 pound cavatappi or elbow macaroni
• 1 quart milk (whole)
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)
• 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 pounds cooked lobster meat
• 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it. In a large pot, melt 6 tablespoons of butter and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. Still whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and lobster and stir well. Place the mixture in 6 to 8 individual gratin dishes.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

(via foodnetwork)