Lobster Mac and Cheese

I love mac and cheese! I know it's not good for me to eat 6 pounds of cheese, but I don't care.  Lobster is awesome too.  I've tried lobster mac and cheese at several restaurants and figured it was time to make my own!  My husband doesn't love lobster as much as I do and he still enjoyed this dish.  I don't think it took very long, there is very little chopping involved.  But there is a ton of grating.  A lot of it can be done while the pasta cooks.  I would definitely make this again, but I'd probably alter the recipe to use a different cheese instead of colby jack, which I thought was too mild.  I don't want to overpower the lobster, but I want my cheese to be a little more flavorful.  This is fantastic comfort food!  The recipe says it serves two.  It was too much for my husband and I, we both had seconds and then I had some left over for lunch the next day.  It reheats well.

The finished product!

Panko goes from uncooked to burnt very quickly. 

Wegmans made this recipe easier; I bought some pre-steamed lobster meat that had already been removed from the shell, so all I had to do was chop it.  I definitely recommend doing it that way unless you've got the time to cook a live lobster.  I used panko instead of breadcrumbs.  The original recipe suggests broiling for 1-2 minutes to brown the breadcrumbs.  I did mine for 2 minutes and it's a little too brown.  For panko I'd say give it one minute and then eyeball it.

Lobster Mac and Cheese
From Jenny Steffens Hobick
Serves two plus leftovers

Ingredients
~1/2 lb cooked lobster meat, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 lb curly pasta of your choice (I used cavatappi)
salt for the pasta water plus another 1/4 tsp
2 cups milk
4 Tbsp butter, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 ounces gruyere, grated
6 ounces white cheddar, grated
4 ounces colby jack, grated
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup panko

Method
1) Boil the pasta in salted water for a minute or two shorter than the instructions on the package.  Drain and set aside.

2) While pasta is cooking, melt 3 Tbsp butter in a large pan.  The pan should be large enough to hold all ingredients, including the pasta.  Add the flour and then whisk for about one minute over medium low heat.  Add milk and stir until smooth.  Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.  Stir often.

3) Remove the sauce from the heat.  Stir in all of the cheese.  It's easier to work in batches, stirring as you go.  Stir until the sauce is smooth.  Add pasta to the cheese sauce and stir to coat.  Then stir in the lobster and season with salt and pepper. Place into oven safe bowls or one large oven safe dish.

4) Melt the remaining 1 Tbsp butter and then stir in the panko.  Spread the panko mixture on top of the mac and cheese.  Broil for ~1 minute until the panko has browned.  Serve!