Lobster Mac & Cheese

              So here at mi casa, Hubby and I sort of have a Friday night tradition. It is nothing crazy creative or too mushy for you to handle, believe me. It simply boils down to an easy dinner at our counter-level peninsula where we try a new bottle of wine, enjoy some cheese and crackers and then manga on whatever is quick to heat up. We linger there for, oh about 2/3 hours, and then meander to the couch where I doze off and he catches up on whatever Netflix movie he has awaiting him. It may sound like nothing but to us it is a prized timeslot that we start looking forward to on Mondays!

 

            But every once in awhile, we get the urge to step-up these “date nights”. It may be some good news we are celebrating, a long- awaited Friday night (if we missed one), a new recipe we want to try out, an extra special bottle of wine we purchased or of course, a birthday, holiday or anniversary.

            So this year, we celebrated Valentine’s Day in our kitchen, at our spot, and chose a recipe worthy of this particular holiday. Lobster Mac & Cheese, enough said, right?  I went with a trusty recipe from Ina and couldn’t have been happier with the results. Although let’s be honest- a Friday night, Hubby next to me, great wine, cheese during appetizers, cheesy pasta in the next course, and a couch calling my name…..there wasn’t much room for failure. Enjoy…

 

Valentine's Day Selfie...

 
  

Lobster Mac & Cheese

Slightly adapted from: Food Network, Barefoot Contessa

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

Salt

½ lb cavatappi or elbow macaroni

2 C whole milk

4 TBS unsalted butter, (1/2 stick), divided

¼ C flour

2 C Gruyere cheese, grated

1 C extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¾ lb cooked lobster meat, chopped

¾ C bread crumbs

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Procedures:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Boil a large pot of boiling salted water, add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package.  Drain well

3. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. In a larger pot, melt 3 tablespoons of butter and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. Still whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, ½  TBS salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni, lobster, bacon and stir well. Place the mixture in 3 to 4 individual gratin dishes

4. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, combine it with bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top of each dish

5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top