Looking for lobster mac and cheese recipe

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I read on one of the reports that someone makes it, but I don't remember who. I'm curious if that someone is willing to share the recipe. I really want to make some for Christmas Eve but have never made it before.

[wdwpoohbear...Jennifer 40]

I found a recipe on www.foodnetwork.com from Ina Garten here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lobster-mac-cheese-recipe/index.html ... don't know if it's the same one posted on here but it's a start. I have made several of her recipes and they have always been good. Hope this helps!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

BradyBzLyn12...Monique is the Fiend famous for this dish. I am not sure if she has ever shared the recipe, but if she will, make hers. I've been lucky enough to try it, and it's awesome!

TCD

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Here's my most recent version of the recipe (I've tweaked it a few times)...

I make it a little different every time. You can use any good melting cheese you like. I like fontina and gruyere but some smooth cheddar is good too. I've also used havarti.

For the batch I made at WDW I bought a package of cheese ends at the deli and used some of that too. It had a bunch of different cheeses in it and was really cheap too.

If you don't have lobster, this is also good with crab meat, chicken or no meat at all!

There's not a lot of exact measuring on this one. I mostly eyeball the consistency of the sauce (not too thick, not super thin) and taste along the way, but here's what I usually use to make up one pan of the goodness...

1 lb cut pasta - shape of your choice, I like rotini or the corkscrewy ones, something that really holds onto the cheese. You can really use any cheese you like, but I've tried all sorts of combinations and this one gives you a really creamy sauce with just a bit of a sharpness to it.

1 block of gruyere cheese*

1 block of fontina cheese*

1 pkg of cream cheese

butter (2-3 tablespoons)

*when I made it this Thanksgiving at the Fort I used about 2/3 of each block, plus about 1/2 a package of cheese ends.

dairy (amount varies - approx 2 to 4 cups) - you can use heavy cream for totally decadent or just whole milk if you want to lighten it up a bit. Light cream is a happy medium and usually what I use.

lobster meat - again amount varies. I suggest three small lobsters - 1 to 1.5 lbs each. More is always better.

flour (2-3 of tablespoons)

butter - 1 stick

salt and pepper

cooking oil spray

bread crumbs (optional)

Preheat oven to 400

Hardware:

Large sauce pan

Baking dish/casserole pan - I like the disposable aluminum ones for this

Aluminum foil

Cook the pasta, being sure to salt the water. Make sure it is cooked until just barely al dente. It'll soften more when you bake it in the sauce. If it's too cooked, the finished product will be kind of mushy. Drain and rinse pasta and set aside.

Cook the lobsters - I prefer to steam them and leave them a tiny bit undercooked as they'll finish cooking in the casserole and I don't want the meat tough. When cool enough, remove ALL meat - claws, tail, you can even take a rolling pin and get all the meat out of the little feeler claws. Rinse off the meat if needed. Don't waste any! Cut the larger bits of meat into small chunks and set meat aside. Save about 1/4 cup of the liquid they cooked in.

Grate the blocks of cheese. Does not have to be finely grated - I generally use the biggest holes on my block grater. Set aside 1 cup total of the grated cheese to put on top of the casserole.

Melt butter in a large sauce pan.

Stir in flour to make a roux which will thicken the sauce. If you use more butter, you'll need a bit more flour. Let it cook for a couple of minutes while stirring but don't let it brown.

Add 2 cups of the dairy of your choice and heat to almost a boil then turn down to barely a simmer and cook while stirring for a few minutes until it starts to thicken.

Add in the cream cheese and stir until smooth and completely dissolved.

Start slowly adding in the grated cheese by handfuls. Stir in each handful until it melts before adding the next. Keep stirring and watch the heat - turn it down if needed so that the bottom of the pot doesn't burn.

At this point check the consistency of the sauce as you're adding in the cheese. It should still be a bit liquidy, not thick like paste. Add more dairy if needed. If it's too liquidy, sprinkle a tiny bit more flour in and stir well. You want the final consistency to be about the same as gravy so it will work it's way in between all the pasta.

Taste the sauce - salt if needed and add black pepper to taste (I like to add quite a bit).

Turn off the heat and stir in the lobster meat and juice. Stir well.

Take a baking or casserole pan and give it a light spray/rub with cooking oil. Put a small layer of pasta in the pan, then cover with cheese sauce and spread it around so it's coated well. Repeat in layers until the pan is full. Don't worry about being neat or even - the sauce will work its way in. I sometimes put a little extra of the sauce on top.

Sprinkle top with a light layer of the remaining grated cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 or until the cheese on top starts to brown.

If you like, before the last 20 minutes, sprinkle with some plain bread crumbs and throw a few pats of butter on top.

Enjoy! :)

One note: You can definitely make this ahead and reheat it, and it's delicious, but it seems to be a little creamier if you serve it right away.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Monique, thank you so much for sharing!!!! When you say a block of cheese, are you talking about an 8 oz. block?

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

You're very welcome, and yes, about an 8oz block of each. You may or may not use it all. Last time when I used some of the cheese ends I only used about 1/2 block of each.

Unfortunately I never seem to make the same amount twice so I don't have an exact measurement.