Lobster Mac & Cheese

To kick off the new year I had a tough decision to make, what to do with a bunch of leftover lobster meat.  That's right for the first time in O'Hara history there was leftover lobster at our house. Perhaps a bit of background would help.

Chris loves lobster. Usually when something is this 'loved' there are no leftovers.

He's been cooking lobster for me ever since we were dating - I know I'm a very lucky girl.  Every New Years Eve ShopRite seems to have lobster on sale for ridiculous prices. This year Christ got it for $2.99/lb.  Since it was offered at such an incredible price Chris decided the more the merrier, only thing was that it was just the two of us spending some quality time on the couch to ring in the new year. 

After Chris cooked & cracked open all of our fresh lobster I think both of our eyes got bigger as we stared at the pile of lobster meat.  Fear not, we ate as much as we possibly could & then wrapped up the rest for the next day.

I was determined to find something to use the lobster with. Pinterest had a ton of things. Then I was flipping through the pages of the Barefoot Contessa's Foolproof cookbook Chris's mom gave me for Christmas (thank you Mary!) & it was right there, staring me in the face: Ina Garten's Lobster Mac & Cheese.  I promised the resolutions I had mentally made that I would start soon, but for now it was game on with the lobster mac & cheese.

Click through for the full recipe & oodles of photos.

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil
• 1 pound cavatappi or elbow macaroni
• 1 quart milk
• 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 - I used fresh grated but if you only have the dried stuff it will work just fine
• 1 1/2 pounds cooked lobster meat
• 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)- I used multigrain

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. 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. (I skip the oil but you can give it a whirl if you wish :)!)
3. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. 
4. In a large pot, melt 6 tablespoons of butter and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. 
5. Still whisking, add the hot milk & cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, & nutmeg. 
6. Add the cooked macaroni & lobster & stir well. 
7. Place the mixture in 6 to 8 individual gratin dishes- or one large casserole dish.
8. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, & sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.  Serve with a light mixed greens salad tossed in vinegar. Share leftovers with lucky officemates.