TRUFFLED LOBSTER MAC ‘N CHEESE



Sherry came to town recently from Seattle and brought her new beaux with her. Dinner was set at my home for 7:00. “Great” she says,” I’ll bring the champagne!” I love how comfortable she is drinking champagne as her beverage of choice. Of course I wanted to serve some simple comfort food. Truffled lobster mac ‘n cheese was just the ticket. We felt a little decadent as we washed it down with millions of tiny bubbles. Another great evening with my sparkling friend, Sherry.

  • 1 pound pasta, cooked and drained
  • 2 or 3 cups raw lobster pieces bite sized
  • 2 large egg
  • 1 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 2 small clove garlic diced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 cup  grated white cheddar 
  • 2 pkg. 8 ounces each cream cheese, crumbled
  • 2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
  • 2 T chopped truffle in oil. Look for this in speciality shops. This can be found all year long, fresh truffles cannot.
  • Generous 1/8 teaspoon each hot red pepper flakes, salt, and freshly ground black pepper

For the casserole:

  1.     Preheat oven to 350. Butter a  large shallow casserole dish.
  2.     In a blender or food processor combine egg, milk, and garlic, and process 3 seconds. Add onion, cheeses, peppers, salt, and blend 10 seconds. 
  3.     Turn macaroni into a large mixing bowl and fold in cheese, truffles , egg and milk mixture. 
  4.       Put all ingredients in the large buttered casserole dish and cover with the gratin topping. Casserole could be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 12 hours at this point.
  5.     Bake about 45-50 minutes or until bubbly and browned on top. If top is not golden, slip under broiler for a minute. Remove from oven, let stand about 5 minutes, and serve. If you make half the cooking time will be shorter, maybe 35 minutes.

 

 

For the topping:

  • 1/4 pound bacon, fried and crumbled
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup torn staled bread.
  • 4 T unsalted butter

 

To make topping:

Melt butter in a sauce pan. Pour over bread crumbs, and add the bacon and cheese and toss.

Note: Try this topping on blanched green beens with cream of celery soup and a little milk or cream for a quick side dish. Bake in the same manner, until bubbly.



This will serve 12 people, you can easily cut it in half, but why not make it all and have your friends bring the champagne!