if you know me then you know my favorite things to eat are seafood and mac and cheese. so it goes without saying that one of my all-time-fav, could-eat-it-everyday dishes is lobster mac and cheese. while my stomach would be happy with that, my wallet strongly disagrees – typical smh.  in NYC,  good lobster mac and cheese (the ones with more than 2 pieces of lobster) can run you anywhere from $18-$30. and since i simply refuse to pay that on a regular basis, i teamed up with the Tastemakers to see if we could combine my boughetto fab ways and their culinary expertise to create a dish that would put Catch to shame – for way less (theirs is $27 btw). check out the video to see how it turned out!

to answer your questions, 1) no that is not my hand (you tried it!) 2) yes it was as delicious as it looks and 3) you can find the full recipe below:

Mac and Cheese:

1 lb Cavatappi pasta
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups half and half
3 cloves roasted garlic
1 tsp old bay
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup Muenster cheese, shredded
¾ cup gruyere cheese
1 eggs, lightly beaten
½ lb of Lump Lobster meat
Salt and Pepper to taste

Breadcrumb Topping:

½ cup Panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter (held separately for bread crumb topping)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
⅛ cup chopped fresh chives

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a rapid boil
Add Pasta to the water and cook for 7 to 8 minutes or until tender.
Drain, rinse with cold water and hold aside in a bowl.

In a large bowl, combine all of the shredded cheeses
In a small saucepan, melt 4 TB of the butter.
Add flour to the butter and whisk till all lumps are gone creating a roux
Whisk in half and half and cheese creating a cheese sauce (Bechamel).
Add Roasted Garlic, old bay, hot sauce, mustard.
Continue on with adding salt and pepper to your preferred taste.
Fully combine ingredients over low heat.

Lightly butter or spray a deep 2 1/2 quart baking dish
Crack one egg, slightly whisk and add directly over pasta.
Pour the cheese sauce directly over the pasta.
Stir thoroughly into the macaroni.
Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and top with any remaining shredded cheese.
Bake for 40 mins

While in the oven…
Crumb Topping
Melt 1 Tablespoon butter in warm pan
Add breadcrumbs to lightly toast and follow up with the chopped parsley and chopped chives
Toss until crispy and butter is absorbed
Sprinkle on top of macaroni upon serving

ENJOY!

now to the biggest question – how much money did I save? most of these ingredients you’ll probably have at home already, so i’m only including what you’ll need to buy:

• 1/2 lb lobster meat (no shell): $18 – sounds high but you’ll have lobster in every bite!
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar: $6
• 1/2 cup muenster: $2.50
• 3/4 cups gruyere cheese: $7
• Fresh parsley: $1
• Fresh chives: $1

if you divide the total by 4 servings (the recipe makes 4-6) then it comes down to about $9 per serving. gather your fellow seafood lovers, a bottle of wine, and have a boughetto fab night at home for 1/2 the price and 2x the flavor!

xO kirsten🌸