Some years back, lobster macaroni and cheese was a huge fad, mostly at linen tablecloth, upscale restaurants. Then, when that faded, it became a huge fad at midscale, red-checkered tablecloth joints. Then, when that died down and food trucks started rolling out, it was a huge fad at hugely faddish mac and cheese trucks. Then, when that abated … we started to write this book. By the way, lobster is overrated. Frozen langoustine are cheaper, easier to deal with, and, in this kind of dish, better tasting.
Ingredients
- 3 qt water
- 1 lb dry macaroni
- 3 Tbsp + 1 tsp salt, divided
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp chipotle powder (optional)
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 4 cups (about 11 oz) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- ½ lb langoustine tails, thawed if frozen
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large pot, bring water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add pasta and 3 tablespoons salt. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the pasta does not stick to the pot. Drain the pasta in a colander, and rinse with cold water to stop it from cooking further. Allow pasta to drain completely.
- While the pasta is cooking, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, milk, sour cream, the spices, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Add in the drained pasta, 3 cups of shredded cheese, langoustine tails, and mix thoroughly.
- In a separate mixing bowl, stir together bread crumbs with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil and remaining cup of cheese.
- Coat the bottom of a baking dish with 1 remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Pour the pasta mixture into the baking dish. Top the macaroni mixture with the bread crumb/cheese mixture.
- Place the baking dish into the oven and bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the topping is golden and starting to brown. Remove the mac and cheese from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Try to include some of the chewy top with each spooned serving.
