Birthday Lobster Mac & Cheese

When my mother came to visit after I had my third child we made sure to stop at Crockett's Public House. It's a restaurant featured on Diner's Drive-Ins & Dives so we knew it would be delicious. That was the first time I had ever tried Lobster Mac & Cheese. I've made my own homemade macaroni and cheese for years so when my father told me he wished he'd come with her and got to try it I knew I'd attempt to make him Lobster Mac & Cheese for his birthday. Bare with this recipe as I made it for 14 (6 adults & 8 children; I have a large family).

Ingredients

4 Cooked Lobsters, meat and shells separated (minus the heads and guts; you can add more if you want more)

2lbs uncooked cavatelli pasta, boiled in salted water until al dente & drained

1qt heavy whipping cream (32 oz)

1 cup apple or pear juice (8 oz) (you can sub for white wine but we don't drink so I used fruit juice)

2 cups chicken stock (16 oz)

4 cups shredded white cheddar

2 cups + 1/4 cup shredded smoked gruyere

2 cups + 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano

5 slices white bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (for breadcrumbs; use plain if store bought)

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp paprika (use 1 tsp if you don't use SMOKED gruyere)

Salt

Pepper

4 shallots, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 TBSP + 4 TBSP unsalted butter

7 TBSP flour 

Olive oil

Chives (or green onion), chopped

STEEP the lobster SHELLS in the cream + juice + chicken stock over low heat. Wait until the cream mixture begins steaming and reduce heat to maintain steam. DO NOT BOIL. Steep at least thirty minutes until you begin to smell the lobster (it took me nearly an hour from when I turned on the heat to when it was done, you don't want to burn the cream). Drain the cream into a bowl and dump lobster shells.

HEAT oven to 400 and bake white bread until dry (6-10 minutes). Crush in food processor with blade attachment and mix with 4 TBSP melted unsalted butter. Stir in 1/4 cup gruyere and 1/2 cup Romano. Set aside.

OVER MEDIUM LOW drizzle some olive oil in a pot. Sautée shallots until translucent and add garlic. Cook until you can smell the garlic (about two minutes). Add 8 TBSP of butter and melt. Wisk in flour vigorously to form smooth paste.

VIGOROUSLY wisk in the cream mixture, one cup at a time, to maintain a smooth béchamel. Stir in nutmeg & paprika. Salt and pepper as needed. Slightly raise the heat to medium and stir frequently until mixture begins to boil and thicken. Then remove from heat and stir in the 4 cups cheddar, 2 cups gruyere, and 2 cups Romano until smooth. Season with salt and pepper as necessary. Stir in lobster meat.

POUR pasta into buttered baking dish and pour béchamel over. Stir into pasta. Top with breadcrumb mixture and bake on 400 for 10-12 minutes until bread crumbs begin to brown and béchamel begins to bubble.

TOP with chives and serve (I served with homemade garlic bread, steamed artichokes, and garden salad).