Lobster Mac and Cheese

Let's face it, it has been freezing here in New York. What better way to fight the cold days and nights than with the warming powers of Mac and Cheese? And what better way to make Mac and Cheese even better? Why, lobster of course.

So here goes my take on two of my favorite foods.

The photo shows the items you'll need... A lobster, small shells, Mascarpone cheese, Romano cheese, Sharp Cheddar cheese, parsley, tarragon, butter, flour, milk, garlic, panko bread crumbs and of course red wine. There is no red wine in the recipe, that's for you to sip on while you cook.

The first thing I did was steam the lobsters and pick the meat from the shell.

While the lobsters were cooking I also cooked the shells and drained them just as they were

al dente. I set the shells aside so they could watch me prepare the cheesy bath I was drawing up for them.

In a strong pot I added about 5 or 6 tablespoons of butter and 5 or 6 tablespoons of flour. I worked this roux for a few minutes and slowly added milk while I kept whisking. I added about 5 cups of fat free milk. I imagine whole milk or even a bit of heavy cream would have been more decadent, but that's all I had in the fridge.

When this white sauce thickened, I started to mix in the Mascarpone cheese, about 6 oz.. This cheese is creamy and smooth. I didn't find it too flavorful, but loved the texture for this dish. Then I added about 5 oz. of Romano cheese. This added a nice flavor and bit of a salty taste. Lastly, I shredded some sharp Cheddar for it's strong flavor and its color. I kept working the cheeses into the white sauce to create the cheese sauce.

Then I cut up the lobster and added it to the sauce with a few tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley, a dash of tarragon and teaspoon of thyme.

Into this cheesy cauldron I put the shells. What a great bath for these shells. Ahh, the power of cheese.

Now, since I didn't plan on baking this dish, but still wanted a crunch, I needed a topper. I sauteed some chopped garlic in olive oil and then added about a half cup of panko bread crumbs and a handful of chopped parsley. This would be my topper and provide the needed crunch.

That's basically how I did it. Got myself down one of Nana's Corning Ware casserole dishes and filled it with some wintry goodness. I recommend trying this one at home. I also recommend running 5 miles right after eating this because it's gonna take a toll on your waistline.