Sometimes you have a craving and sometimes this all that will do. I spent weeks thinking of lobster mac and cheese and decided to give it a whirl.

Creamy cheese, sweet lobster, pasta. I mean why wouldn’t you enjoy it? I used medium cheddar as I wanted my sauce to be cheesy but without the inherent oiliness and graininess you can get from the more mature cheeses out there, I also added jarlsberg as the smooth stretchy nuttiness of it I happen to really enjoy but you can use any you prefer. Just bear in mind the stronger the cheese the less you’ll taste the lobster and there’s not greater crime than using lobster as nothing more than a bulking agent.

He’s my interpretation I hope you like it. It worked well for me but flours etc can be finicky so if your sauce is too thick you can always knock it back with a touch more milk!

Serves :

2 as a very rich and luxurious main or;
4 as decadent sides or;
1 in a large bowl and eaten in front of a Netflix binge with no intention of moving after.

You will need…

1 large lobster or 2 tails
250g pasta
100g medium cheddar
100g jarlsberg
25g flour
25g butter
400ml milk
200ml double cream
1 small onion
bay leaf
1tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 slice of stale bread
20g Parmesan
Salt and Pepper

Make sure your oven is preheated to 180°c(fan)

Prepare your lobster by blanching in boiling water and chilling in ice water. Remove the shells and reserve. Chop your lobster into bitesize pieces and put to one side.
Chop the onion roughly and add to a large sauce pan with the lobster shells and bay leaf. sauté over a high heat until the burnished and smelling goooood. Add the milk and simmer for a few minutes. Take off the heat and leave to infuse for about half an hour.
Cook your pasta until al dente. If I have to explain this then I can’t help you.
Using a food processor or chopper blitz your bread and parmesan into crumbs and put to one side.
Make a roux by melting the butter and adding the flour. Cook over a low to moderate heat until the flour is fully cooked, about 10 minutes.
Strain your lobster flavoured milk back into a saucepan and keep warm.
Slowly add your milk to the roux little by little whisking continuously to ensure there are no lumps.
Once all the milk is incorporated you can add your cheese and mustard. It’ll be thick so feel free to switch to a spoon at this point.
When the cheese has melted and been fully mixed into the sauce add your double cream, taste and season with salt and pepper.
Seasoning is subjective so again I won’t tell you how much to use, but you need some. Don’t come at me with your salt free lifestyle, I have no time for it.
Add your cooked pasta and lobster meat to the sauce and mix well too ensure everything is well coated.
Transfer to an oven proof dish (or dishes) and sprinkle with your cheesy breadcrumbs.
Bake for 20 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden and the sauce is bubbling at you from the edges.

Hope you enjoy it if you try it, let me know in the comments if you do! Any suggestions are always appreciated.

Recipe: Lobster Mac & Cheese