Nanci’s Lobster Mac & Cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cook the pasta al dente, drain well, set aside, and mix with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil so that it does not stick together.
To Prepare the Cheese & Besciamella Sauce:
In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, pepper, bay leaf, onions, salt and nutmeg until the milk is steaming. Remove the bay leaf.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Sprinkle in the flour, and stir with a wooden spoon until well blended. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes until it is a golden brown. This thin paste is called a roux. Slowly pour the steaming milk into the roux, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Continue stirring over medium heat for 3 to 6 minutes. When the mixture thickens, take it off the heat.
Add both the cheeses to the sauce, and mix well until the cheeses are melted into the sauce.
To Finish:
Mix the pasta, the truffle oil (if desired) and the lobster meat with three-quarters of the Cheese & Besciamella Sauce. Pour the pasta into a greased baking dish in two layers, topping each layer with a portion of the remaining sauce. Top it all with breadcrumbs.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and cook for about 25 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 pound pasta—elbow, cavatappi or penne
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons truffle oil (optional)
1 pound cooked lobster, cut into ½-inch pieces
½ cup breadcrumbs
For the Cheese & Besciamella Sauce:
Yields about 2 cups
4 cups whole milk
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus additional to taste
1 bay leaf
1 white onion, chopped
Salt to taste
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound mild Cheddar cheese, cut in small dice
1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, cut in small dice