Looking for something really luxurious to serve on New Year’s Eve that doesn’t involve hours of prep?

This is my easy version of lobster mac ‘n cheese using ready cooked chunks of lobster and *lobster juice  – and it doesn’t require baking in the oven like regular mac ‘n cheese.

Generously studded with glorious chunks of lobster meat and finished with a drizzle of white truffle oil – it really doesn’t get much better than this!

*Bottled lobster juice (8oz / 240ml) is available from Whole Foods and if you can’t find it, just double up on the half and half or pouring cream.

Truffled Lobster Mac ‘ n Cheese

TRUFFLED LOBSTER MAC ‘N CHEESE

(6 servings)

Ingredients:

1lb (453g) of macaroni, dry weight

1lb (453g) of cooked lobster meat, cut into bite sized chunks (Costco sells bags of frozen lobster meat that’s perfect for this, unless you want to start with a live one…)

1 medium sized shallot, finely minced

1 clove of garlic, minced or crushed

5 tablespoons of unsalted butter

4 tablespoons of all-purpose / plain flour

A pinch of cayenne

A pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon of dry mustard powder

1 bay leaf

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.5 cups (354ml) of half and half or pouring cream

1.5 cups (354ml) of lobster juice plus extra to finish (that’s two 8fl oz / 240ml bottles) or half and half as above

4 oz (113g) of Marscapone

4.5 oz (128g) of grated Gruyere

4.5 oz (128g) of grated Fontina

White truffle oil to finish

Action:

In a separate large pan, melt the butter and gently sweat the shallots and garlic until soft and translucent. Add the flour, nutmeg, cayenne and mustard, stirring for about 2 minutes to create a ‘roux’, then slowly whisk in the half and half and lobster juice. Add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste then add the bay leaf and bring it to a gently simmer for about 8-10 minutes until it thickens, stirring every minute or so.

Start cooking the pasta.

Back to the sauce; once thickened, discard the bay leaf and reduce the heat to very, very low. Fold in the Marscapone until it melts into the sauce, followed by the grated Gruyere and Fontina. Stir well to melt the cheeses.

Quickly drain the pasta and fold it into to the sauce along with the remaining lobster water (if you aren’t using lobster water, use some of the pasta cooking water if the sauce needs thinning out) Stir to combine and check the seasoning.

Fold in the fresh lobster meat and let everything heat through gently for a couple of minutes before dividing between warmed individual bowls.

To serve, top each bowl of pasta with a small drizzle of really good white truffle oil (don’t overdo it as you don’t want the truffle to dominate)

Happy New Year!