Lobster Mac & Cheese- YES, PLEASE!!

From Dish Deanna:

The last time I had lobster mac & cheese I was on a date about a year and a half ago. We went to this really nice restaurant on the water and because it was on the water I obviously had to order some sort of fish. I’d heard good things about the lobster mac & cheese and couldn’t help myself. It was literally the best thing I’d ever eaten. Unfortunately, the date didn’t really work out (we’re still friends!), however, the mac & cheese made quite an impact.

I was feeling pretty adventurous when I woke up this morning and said to myself, “I NEED to make lobster mac & cheese tonight.” I don’t know what came over me. I already had a recipe for homemade mac & cheese but it was missing a few key ingredients, including the lobster. Here’s my own take on the most fattening and delicious dish ever.

Ingredients:

• One 2 lb steamed lobster
• ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• ¼ cup fontina cheese, grated
• ½ cup gruyere cheese, grated
• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 and ½ cups buttermilk
• 2 and a ½ tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons ground, powdered mustard
• ½ lb of pasta (I prefer Cellentani for this recipe but you can use Elbows or Cavatappi, or really anything)
• ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
• Salt & pepper to taste

The first thing you should do is cook your lobster. I went to the store today and they offered to steam it for me. When it came time to shell the lobster, it was already cooked perfectly.

Prep all your ingredients. Grate all your cheese (make sure your measurements are correct- don’t eyeball it), take out the butter, & pour the buttermilk into a measuring cup. If your lobster is already cooked, take this time to shell it and cut the meat into bite size pieces.

First, boil water in a saucepan and add your pasta. Add salt and olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking. Cook the pasta to your liking. In a separate saucepan, on medium heat melt the butter completely and then add the flour. Stir continuously until the mixture turns golden brown. Add the buttermilk and stir until the liquid thickens. It should be thick enough that it coats the back of your spoon. This should take around 10 minutes. Don’t forget about your pasta during this time! If it is ready, strain and set aside for later.

When the buttermilk has thickened, add in the cheese mixture and the mustard. Stir continuously until the cheese is completely dissolved. Add salt and pepper.

When the mixture is completely blended, add the pasta and lobster meat to the saucepan with the cheese and stir until it is coated.

Grease your casserole dish lightly and transfer the mac & cheese into it. Sprinkle plain breadcrumbs on the top until it is completely covered. Pop it in the oven for approximately 8-10 minutes at 300 degrees. It is my personal preference to brown the top of it but that is completely up to you! If you choose to brown it, keep your eye on it so it doesn’t burn!

ENJOY THE BEST MAC & CHEESE EVER!!!

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Ricotta Gnocchi

From Dish Nicole:

I have a love-hate relationship with gnocchi. I love it when it’s light and fluffy and has just the right amount of sauce. I hate it when it’s heavy, gluey and starchy. My fiancé and I attempted to make potato gnocchi a while ago and the outcome ended up heavy and gluey. We tried baking the potatoes then ricing them. We tried boiling the potatoes. Different kinds of potatoes. Every recipe had a different approach and none of them were better than “just okay”. We then visited Lupa, one of Mario Batali’s restaurants and had his ricotta gnocchi. The man knows his pasta. It was the best gnocchi we had ever had (actually everything we had was pretty fantastic). It was like eating a savory cloud. We couldn’t stop thinking about it and went back again. Then I realized that the consistency I was looking for all along was that of ricotta gnocchi. So I found a recipe I liked and got to work. It turned out PERFECT and was super easy. Don’t get me wrong I have had fabulous potato gnocchi, but it’s much more labor intensive. This recipe (taken from Epicurious) is less time consuming and will impress the pants off your friends- it’s that good.

Serves 4

2 cups whole-milk ricotta (1 pound)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (3 ounces), divided

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 stick unsalted butter

2-4 large sage leaves torn into pieces

Parchment paper to layout the pre-cooked gnocchi

Stir together the ricotta, eggs, 1 cup of the cheese, nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add in the flour and form into a wet sticky dough.

Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface with lightly floured hands into 1-inch-thick ropes. Cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces and place on a floured parchment-lined baking sheet.

Cook gnocchi in batches in a large pot of boiling salted water, adding a few at a time to the pot and stirring occasionally, until cooked through (cut one in half to check). I found that 3 minutes was the perfect amount of time. Lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside.

While cooking the gnocchi, cook the butter and sage in a skillet over medium heat until the butter is golden brown. (approx 5 minutes). Toss in the gnocchi and serve with the remaining cheese sprinkled on top.

I think Mario would approve.

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Shrimp Scampi

From Dish Erin:

To me there’s nothing better than an easy, healthy, delicious weeknight meal. And minus the pot you need to cook the pasta, this is pretty close to a one-pot dish. I tend to have almost every ingredient I need for this dish on hand at all times, so I’ll usually just stop on my way home from work and grab the shrimp and it’s basically done in 30 min. This classic dish lends itself to personal interpretation. Shallots and tomato paste are not standard, but I really like them in this dish. Some people like scallions, too. I also think peas would be delicious. But then again, I put peas in everything, so maybe that’s just me.

(Hopefully you won’t need to scold your puppy halfway through the cooking process for trying to steal the butter.)

1/4 cup olive oil
1 lb peeled and deveined large shrimp
4 large garlic cloves, minced roughly
1 shallot, sliced very thinly
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt & pepper to taste
3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
5-10 cherry tomatoes, diced
3/4 lb capellini or linguine
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Bring a 6- to 8-quart pot of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté shrimp, turning over once, until just cooked through, (about 2-3 min depending on size). Then transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.

Add garlic and shallot to oil remaining in skillet along with red pepper flakes, wine, salt, and pepper and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Add butter to skillet, stirring until melted, then add tomato paste, cherry tomatoes, lemon juice, and wine and simmer until alcohol burns off and everything is incorporated, about 5 min. Add shrimp back to pan. Remove skillet from heat.

Cook pasta in boiling water until just tender, about 8 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander. Toss pasta well with shrimp mixture and parsley in the sauté pan, adding a few tablespoons of the pasta water.

Top with extra parsley and parmesan cheese.

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