Lobster Mac and Cheese

The recipe was a success! It really was so yummy. It was surprisingly easy and I can even see myself making this again as our regular mac and cheese, without the lobster. Maybe I'm done with the blue box? (probably not!). I made a few small changes to the recipe - I've put my modifications in bold below.

So here's the recipe, courtesey of Barefoot Contessa (found on http://www.foodnetwork.com/)

LOBSTER MAC AND CHEESE

Ingredients

Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1 pound cavatappi or elbow macaroni (I used Rotini because I think it's prettier!)
1 quart milk

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (I only used 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg because some of the comments on the recipe said 1/2 teaspoon was too much)
1 1/2 pounds cooked lobster meat
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed) (I used Panko Bread Crumbs because I'm super lazy and didn't feel like making my own breadcrumbs. The panko was nice and light and worked perfectly)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. In a large pot, melt 6 tablespoons of butter and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. Still whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and lobster and stir well. Place the mixture in 6 to 8 individual gratin dishes. (I am not fancy enough to have small gratin dishes, so I just put mine into a large 10x8 pan and it came out fine)

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. (since I used Panko, I didn't add any butter to the breadcrumbs) Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Of course, I took pictures of my masterpiece!

Since it's so yellow, it's not that attractive looking, but trust me, it tasted good!

My plate - we just ate ours with arugula salad because I didn't feel like making any sides!

The table! Nice romantic dinner!

Definitely not a diet meal in anyway since it does have 6 cups of shredded cheese, a stick of butter and an entire quart of whole milk! whoops! But definitely good for a special occasion or celebration. Highly recommended!