The Hairy Bikers Lobster Mac N Cheese Food

SMOKY MACARONI CHEESE

Steps:

• For the infused milk, pour the milk into a saucepan and add the bay leaf, onion, cloves and allspice. Bring almost to the boil then remove from the heat and leave to infuse and cool.
• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the macaroni and cook for 6-7 minutes, or until just shy of al dente. Drain.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent. Turn up the heat and let the onion brown a little. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the flour until you have a roux (it will be lumpy because of the onion). Pour in the wine. Stir to form a thick paste and gradually add the milk, stirring between each addition, until it is all incorporated and there is a smooth béchamel sauce. Pour in the chicken stock and stir in the chipotle paste.
• Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
• Mix the smoked and mature cheddars together in a small bowl and add two thirds of the cheese to the sauce. Stir until the cheese is melted into the sauce and then add the macaroni. Stir to combine and transfer to a large baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for 30-35 minutes, until piping hot, browned and bubbling. Serve in warmed bowls.

LOBSTER MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. In a large pot, melt 6 tablespoons of butter and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. Still whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and lobster and stir well. Place the mixture in 6 to 8 individual gratin dishes.
• Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

LOBSTER MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Take the lobster and twist the claws off, then use a rolling pin to crack the claws and pick the meat out. Peel the tail, exposing and removing the fleshy meat. Roughly chop all of the meat, then cover and set aside in a bowl in the fridge. Bash all the pieces of shell with the rolling pin to break them up a bit.
• Heat the oil in large frying pan over a high heat, add the onion and a large pinch of salt and cook for around five minutes until softened and well coloured, then add the lobster shell and fry for a couple of minutes more. Add the cayenne pepper and tomato purée and stir to coat everything, the turn the heat down to medium and add the milk. Stir well, then remove from the heat when it is just coming to a simmer and set aside for 30 mins to infuse. Meanwhile, mix the garlic, olive oil and lemon zest together with some seasoning to make the breadcrumb topping, then set aside. Strain the milk mixture into a jug and discard the shell.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Boil the macaroni in salted water until it has a slight bite (around two minutes less than on the packet instructions), drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat until foaming, then add the wine and cook for 5 minutes until the wine has reduced by half, then whisk in the flour to make a sandy paste. Turn down the heat and pour the strained milk into the pan a little at a time, whisking constantly and allowing each addition of milk to be fully absorbed before adding any more.
• Add the chopped lobster meat, mustard, crab and cheese. Stir well until the cheese has melted, then season to taste. Tip in the macaroni and stir to coat everything in the sauce. Tip into an ovenproof baking dish (or six small ones) and top with a sprinkling of grated cheese and the garlic breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 mins until golden and bubbling, then allow to cool a little before serving.

LOBSTER MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and salt it generously. Add the macaroni and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until just shy of al dente. Drain well.
• Separate the lobster flesh from the tails, chop into bite-sized chunks and set aside. Put the shells in a saucepan and heat on a high heat. Pour in the white wine and allow to bubble fiercely. Remove from the heat and strain, discarding the shells and reserving the wine.
• Put the milk, bay leaf and onion slice into a saucepan. Heat slowly, until the milk is just below boiling point, then remove from the heat. Set aside. Leave the milk to infuse with the bay leaf and onion.
• Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan. Add the diced onion and bacon and fry until the onion is lightly caramelised and the bacon is crisp and brown.
• Add the garlic and thyme, then stir in the flour, mustard powder and cayenne. Stir until you have a roux (it will be lumpy because of the onion and bacon), then gradually add the milk, stirring between each addition, until it is all incorporated and you have a béchamel sauce. Add 50g/1¾oz each of the two types of cheeses and the reserved wine and stir on a low heat until the cheese has melted.
• Mix the sauce with the macaroni and stir in the lobster meat. Pour into a large, shallow ovenproof dish.
• Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining cheese. Sprinkle this over the macaroni. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until it is piping hot, browned and bubbling.
• To garnish, heat a frying pan over a high heat. When hot add the butter and the lobster tails. Cook for 1 minute on each side until warmed through. Add the brandy and light with a match to flambé. (CAUTION: Keep well back from the flames and allow to die down before serving.) Remove the lobster tails from the pan and cut lengthwise. Place on top of the macaroni cheese and serve.