cast iron lobster mac & cheese

cast iron lobster mac & cheese

you know how you pass some kind of gorgeous ingredient in the supermarket and you're suddenly inspired to make something with it? well, it happened to me this past weekend. there in front of me was a pound of gorgeous fresh shucked lobster meat so i felt the need to make my version of a delicious lobster mac. cast iron skillet and all, i went for it! recipe follows

prep time: 45 mins

cook time: 30 mins

ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh shucked lobster
• 2 lbs large shell pasta (with ribbons)
• 1 cup chopped scallions
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 8 ounces butter
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 4 cups milk
• 1 cup white wine
• fresh juice of 1 small lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon truffle salt
• 1 lb Velveeta
• 1/2 lb shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1/2 lb shredded fontinella cheese
• 1/2 lb shredded gruyere
• 1 lb shredded parmesan
• 2 cups panko italian seasoned breadcrumbs

preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter the sides and bottom of a cast iron skillet. melt 2 ounces of the butter and combine a 1/2 cup of the shredded parmesan with the panko crumbs and set aside. load up a large pot with salty water and boil off your pasta. i do mine 1 lb at a time.  only cook until al dente, then run under cold water and mix in a drizzle of olive oil so the noodles don't stick together.

i don't know why, i should probably ask my mother, but i always grate my own cheese. you probably don't have to but something tells me it will just taste better if it's freshly grated. so, once your noodles are boiling, get to grating. i use the larger holes on the box grater.

in a large pot, combine 6 ounces of butter and SIFTED flour on medium low heat. yes, sift it so you get a nice creamy roux. i use my powder sugar shaker, whatever you have on hand will be fine. and incorporate the flour slowly so it doesn't clump up. after that, add the garlic powder, salt, lemon juice, half of the milk and wine. next, start to drop in your grated cheeses, about a 1/4 of your entire mixture at a time. this will take a little patience, you want to keep the heat no higher than medium so the bottom of your mixture doesn't scorch. just keep stirring and incorporating until all is creamy. add in the remainder of milk and wine until you achieve a velvety, thick mixture. it should be a bit tough to stir but make sure all cheeses are melted. here's my secret, once your cheese mixture is ready and you've tasted it to make sure it's seasoned properly, add in a few pinches of truffle salt. boom!

next, pull the mixture off the heat and add in the pasta, lobster and scallions. don't underestimate how large your pot needs to be, this makes for a huge portion! finally, pour the entire mixture into your cast iron skillet and top with the panko/parmesan mixture. cook for 30 minutes or until bubbly and broil for just a couple of minutes at the end to get a nice dark crisp on top. 

do yourself a favor and don't weigh yourself for a few days after you eat this...