I I swore I'd never do a mac n cheese recipe! Let alone one with lobster in! Turns out I was wrong on both counts, it's become rather fashionable to have some kind of Mac n cheese on the menu, I've seen it done really well and I've seen it done extremely badly
I'm hoping that my version is at least done well and fantastically tasty!! It takes the already delicious Mac n cheese and turns it into a real dinner party winner, you can if you want use crab, and if you really want to knock your friends socks off?! Use both!! Totally over the top, but just awesome
This recipe I'm going to share with you guys will feed 4 people really well
SHOPPING LIST
1 live lobster about 1.5kg
4 garlic cloves
50g of butter
Good pinch of saffron
1 good size onion
4 anchovy fillets (optional)!
Pinch of cayenne pepper
200ml of white wine (if wouldn't drink it! Don't cook with it!!!)
50g of plain flour
1.2ltrs of full fat milk
Good teaspoon of English mustard
Good teaspoon of Dijon mustard
500g of dried macaroni
100g mature cheddar cheese
100g Parmesan cheese
100g breadcrumbs
100g of crispy smoked bacon or pancetta(optional but I highly recommend it!!!)
METHOD
First thing you need to do is get the lobster ready, pop your lobster into the freezer for about 30 minutes
Get a large pan of water and season it with salt, bring it to the boil and carefully plunge the lobster in, place a lid on top and cook for 7-8 minutes
Remove and leave to cool
Finely chop the onion
Finely crush the garlic
In a pan, add the butter, soften the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes now add the saffron, anchovies (if using) and the cayenne pepper
Now turn up the heat and add the wine and cook this away
You can now add the flour, milk and the mustards, mix really well and simmer for about 10 minutes, stir from time to time to prevent sticking
The lobster will now be cool enough to handle, twist off the head, carefully shake all the juices into the sauce, don't waste it! Think flavour
Now carefully but firmly squeeze the tail until it cracks
Pull the tail open and remove the tail meat
With a rolling pin or something suitable, gently crack open up the claws and remove the meat
Chop up all the meat into nice pieces
Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water until just cooked
Drain and add the macaroni to the sauce, grate the cheeses and add all the cheddar and half the Parmesan to the sauce and stir well
Now carefully fold in the lobster, taking care not to break up the meat too much
Heat your oven to 190c
Tip your macaroni mix into a large ovenproof dish
Mix the remaining Parmesan cheese with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the top of the macaroni
Now!! I definitely think you should do this! Roughly chop the smoked bacon or pancetta and sprinkle this over the breadcrumb and Parmesan topping, this will take the Mac n cheese to another level giving a fantastic smokey flavoured crunch
Place in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes until bubbling and golden brown
Serve in the centre of the table with a big rocket salad, a big glass of white wine and more importantly a BIG smile
You'll love this recipe, it's an absolutely amazing dish