INGREDIENTS
Filling
- cooked lobster 1 whole about 800g, see notes below
- whole milk 700ml
- bay leaf 1
- black peppercorns 1 tsp
- unsalted butter 35g
- plain flour 2 tbsp
- parmesan 100g, finely grated
- gruyère 100g, grated
- amori or other small tubular pasta 300g
- chives a small bunch, finely chopped
Mac ‘n’ Cheese Topping
- Savoursmiths Crisp Crumbs 50g
- parmesan 50g, finely grated
- cayenne pepper ½ tsp
DIRECTIONS
- Break off the claws from the lobster, and gently tap them with a rolling pin to break the shell and wriggle out the meat. Cut into large pieces. Cut the body in half lengthways, remove the shell and roughly chop the meat – you want to keep it chunky.
- Put the lobster shells into a pan with the milk, bay leaf and peppercorns, and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and strain.
- In a separate pan, melt the butter and add the flour. Cook, stirring regularly, until it turns a nutty brown colour. Slowly add the infused milk to the pan, in small additions, stirring well in between until you have a smooth sauce. Stir in the cheeses and cook gently for a few minutes until completely melted.
- Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and stir this through the cheese sauce, season and add the chives and chopped lobster meat. Tip into a large baking or gratin dish.
- Heat the grill to medium-high. Mix the crisp crumbs, parmesan and cayenne in a bowl, sprinkle evenly over the pasta and grill for 5 minutes until golden brown (keep a careful eye on it so it doesn’t catch or burn).