Truffled Lobster Mac and Cheese

I realize as much as I love fancy sophisticated food, my heart truly lies with simple, comfort food.  Comfort food for me is equivalent to a food hug. Sometimes after a stressful day, you just need a hug....from a bowl of mac and cheese or a comforting squeeze from a slice of pizza.  I suppose that sounds creepy and borderline emotional eaterish, but in my case, food just makes me happy. I understand for others binge eating a 20 piece chicken McNugget and Big Mac because of loneliness is probably not that healthy. Fortunately, I do have a teensy bit of discipline and a small amount of something I love makes me just as happy as 5 orders of it.

My love for mac and cheese runs deeper than imaginable. I love the tradional version and generally without addional meats or vegetables in it. I also prefer it creamy and not baked (think Kraft and Easy Mac.)  It was a long weekend and I was feeling crazy so I tried making lobster mac and cheese. I also have truffle oil handy so of course that was added.

The smell of truffly cheesy goodness was amazing. There should be a air freshner of just that. In a spontaneous moment, I actually dumped my mac and cheese into a casserole pan, covered with more cheese and bread crumbs and baked....and of course I didn't like it as much. Baking always takes away the creaminess. I never learn!

 I've shared the recipe below, but keep in mind my cooking is not exact so it was hard to estimate how much of everything I put in. I also omitted the baking part, but that's another way to finish it. This recipe is by no means perfected. Comments and suggestions welcomed!


Truffled Lobster Mac and Cheese
(serves 6 hungry people or 8 slightly less hungry)

5 lobsters, tails and claws cleaned and diced
1 lb. elbow macaroni


 Cheese Sauce:
2 quarts whole milk
0.5 g butter
0.5 g all purpose flour
1 1/2 tbsp white truffle oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt, to taste
6 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Crack lobsters, retaining tails and claws. Steam for 10 minutes. Cool in ice bath and clean. Dice lobster meat into 1/2 inch chunks.
2. Mix butter and flour to form a roux. Allow mixture to bubble 1-2 minutes to cook the flour. Set aside to cool.
3. Heat milk to a boil. Lower heat. Slowly whisk in roux mixture, stirring well Allow to simmer ensure sauce thickens. Strain if there are chunks or blend slightly.
4. Add cayenne, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, dijon mustard, truffle oil to taste. Whisk in cheeses until mixed well. Keep sauce warm.
5. Cook pasta in boiling, salted water. Strain and immediately mix with cheese sauce.
6. Add lobster meat and serve immediately. Enjoy!

I served this with roasted winter vegetables. It was the perfect comforting meal.