Living in New England there are a few things that you get to benefit from while being subjected to the grueling winter.  I get to experience actual fall foliage, I get to go apple picking and I have access to amazing seafood.  I don’t always indulge in making such a decadent meal, but sometimes Mac N Cheese calls to you and there is nothing better than adding lobster to a dish to make it truly indulgent!

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter, plus 1 tablespoon for greasing dish
Kosher salt
1 pound penne pasta
2 small shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white wine
4 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon chipotle pepper
1 bay leaf
2 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar
2 cups shredded Gruyere
2 (8-ounce) raw lobster tails, defrosted if frozen, meat removed from shell, chopped
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (for topping)

Recipe (adopted from foodnetwork.com)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a large baking dish with butter.

Cook the pasta to al dente and make sure you salt the water before adding the pasta.  Once the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and then set it aside.

In a large pot melt the butter until it shines.  Add the garlic and shallots and saute until translucent.  Add the flour and tomato paste and stir until the flour is cooked through.  Add the white wine and reduce the sauce by half.  Add the cream and continue to stir until the sauce thickens.  Season with salt, pepper, paprika, bay leaf and chipotle pepper.  I like to use chipotle peppers because it gives the dish a smokey taste. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the grated cheese and continue to stir until all the sauce is smooth.  Stir in the chopped lobster meat.  Stir in the pasta.

Pour the pasta mixture into the greased pan and sprinkle the mixture with the panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.  I like to use panko because I like the texture better than regular bread crumbs.

Bake the dish for 25 minutes until it is golden brown and bubbling. Let the dish rest for up to 10 minutes.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did!