You want indulgence? I’ll give you indulgence. How about this:
Or this?
Do you see that creamy, cheesy goodness topped with delicate little piece of decadent lobster? Ohhhh my goodness. There’s not much more to say about that.
If you can’t be indulgent on Valentine’s Day, when can you be indulgent? I know my diet went right out the window the second I walked into work. From the beginning of the day, there were bagels with homemade jam and Nutella (Ok, well, I brought them in…) and chocolate, and then when I got home, there was wine and this lobster macaroni and cheese. (Yes, I made it, but I’m really trying to pass off my diet downfall on someone else here, OK?)
My husband and I were going to go either go out for sushi or order in Chinese food for a low-key Valentine’s Day. The plan went awry, however, when my husband — a field technician who works on techie things at restaurants — did some work at a bar yesterday that serves lobster mac and cheese.
And, there you have it. That’s what we were having for dinner.
Lobster Macaroni and Cheese
1 pound macaroni (or other shaped pasta)
6 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon (Indulgent. I told you.)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk (I used reduced fat…gotta’ cut back somewhere)
4 cups grated cheese (I used a combination of gruyere, harvati, and white cheddar)
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Old Bay
A dash of red pepper flakes, if you’re into that sort of thing
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 lobster tails, meat removed from shells
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and spoon into a casserole dish.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Melt six tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to make a roux. Warm the milk, either on the stove or in the microwave, and then add it to the roux. Whisk thoroughly until it’s smooth.
Add in the cheese a handful at a time, stirring it to a smooth sauce. Add salt, pepper, Old Bay, and red pepper flakes (if using). Chop the lobster meat and briefly saute it in butter. Add it to the cooked pasta.
Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta in the casserole dish, and mix thoroughly so all the pasta is coated.
Combine the bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon butter in a microwaveable dish and microwave until the butter is melted. Scatter the bread crumbs over the macaroni evenly, and then transfer the dish to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden, and the sauce is bubbling.
