Happy Thursday! it is a happy day for me because I got the call this morning to stay home, which was great because I got to sleep in a little bit. I loved being able to take Ava to school. Another reason is that I started writing this recipe and shot the video yesterday. I was unable to share it due to time constraints. Today was a great day to get the call off. Mac and Cheese is one of those foods that I suffer for, as my body and stomach ache with ingesting dairy 🙁 but to me, it’s worth it.
This Recipe is a loved recipe by my family. Every holiday this recipe makes an appearance. It’s cheesy, creamy, and so delicious, with succulent buttery lobster. I know, I know, some people can’t imagine seafood in their mac and cheese. Well, you don’t know what you are missing.
Pasta Type: My favorite type of pasta to use for mac and cheese is the elbow macaroni, simply because they are small, a little goes a long way, and they don’t feel as heavy as let’s say penne pasta, bucatini, and ziti. A lot of cheese can make any recipe a little heavy. So the pasta you choose makes a difference.
Milk: Whole milk and 2% milk work great, but if you want extra creaminess you can use heavy cream or half and half. I often use fair-life because it is lactose-free and I am lactose intolerant. I’m getting more than enough lactose with all the cheese. I haven’t tried making it with nut milk.
Cheeses: I have a variety of cheeses in this recipe. Smoked Gouda is one of my favorite cheeses to add to mac and cheese. I love it because it has a distinct flavor profile which comes from cold smoking, it makes it taste a bit nuttier. Gouda is part butterfat and cream, with smooth, salty, and sweet notes. It of course comes from the Netherlands, a place close to my heart. Cheddar is another important component, comes in sharp which is more pungent, and mild is not as strong in flavor. It all depends on what you like. Cheddar is the 2nd most popular cheese in the US after mozzarella. Mozzarella is used in this recipe because it’s so stretchy and pulley. Yes, I said pulley lol. I also added Fontina which is a bit milder but has good stretch. Any other cheese can be added, the main cheeses that are a must are the gouda, cheddar, and mozzarella. Havarti or monterey-jack bare another good choice to replace the fontina. Pepper jack, Butter Kass, Swiss cheese, and others can replace the fontina. Block cheese is preferred vs pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents which can make the sauce grainy and not stretchy.
The Lobster is a great addition because it is so succulent, rich, and tasty. If you are not a lobster fan you can sub with shrimp. Omit the seafood all together and you still have a great mac and cheese.
What makes this different from regular mac and cheese is the roux or essentially a cheese sauce which is made by melting butter, adding flour as a thickener for the milk and melted cheese. The flour is optional. You can still have thickened cheese because melted cheese is essentially thick. This recipe doesn’t require a long time for baking. Often I find mac and cheese tends to harden due to the flour in the recipe with a longer baking time. Who wants mac and cheese –(cake), not I, LOL. Run and don’t walk to try this yummy mac and cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3 1/2 cups milk, heavy cream, or half and half I prefer the latter two now
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp flour optional see notes
- 1/2 cup sour cream I forgot to show in it the video
- 8 oz block of mild or sharp cheddar hand shredded using grater
- 1 7.2 oz package Sargento's 4 state cheddar its just a mix of different cheddars. You can make your own
- 8 oz block of mozzarella cheese hand shredded using grater
- 8 oz fontina cheese or monterey jack hand shredded using grater
- 8 oz smoked gouda hand shredded using grater
- 1/2-1 tsp salt or more per taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
lobster
- 1 1/2 lbs lobster claws remove from shells and break into pieces
- 1 1/2 tbsp ghee or butter
- 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
topping
- 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 1/2 cup shredded yellow cheddar
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley optional
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions, adding 1 tsp salt. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat a small skillet on medium heat. Melt the ghee or butter. When melted, add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add, dried parsley and the lobster. Cook for about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Set aside.
- Heat a medium sauce pan on medium heat. Melt the butter in the sauce pan, making sure not to burn. Add the (optional)flour and whisk for a minute, then add the milk or heavy cream, and continue to whisk to avoid making your sauce lumpy. Milk will start to thicken slightly. Turn the heat on low.
- Quickly add the smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt to the milk mixture, Add the cheeses promptly, I like to use a whisk. Make sure not the bring the cheese sauce to a boil to avoid breaking down the cheese, you want it to be stringy and pulley lol. Mix in sour cream.
- Add sauce to cooked and drained pasta, then mix in 3/4 of the lobster. see notes prior to this step. there is an update
- Transfer to a 9×9 inch baking pan lined with parchment paper. Top the cheeses, then lefter over lobster. Sprinkle dried parsley.
- Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, then broil for 3-4 minutes. Be careful not to burn the top, monitor the entire time.Enjoy and comment.This African
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