This is a decadent dish with lots of flavor.
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 stick butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- 14 oz penne or elbow pasta
- 1/2 cup white wine i used an unoaked chardonnay
- 4 cups 1% milk
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 8 oz organic white cheddar grated
- 4 oz smoked mozzarella diced
- 1 small log goat cheese
- 2 oz gorgonzola
- 2 oz parmesan grated
- 2 1 1/4 lb lobsters cooked and shelled
- 1 cup panko crumbs
- Carbohydrate 45.4877607998455 g
- Cholesterol 102.8271063786 mg
- Fat 27.12602646441 g
- Fiber 2.17223648415566 g
- Protein 30.1103310296022 g
- Saturated Fat 16.3606607000414 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (261g)
- Sodium 621.1354886446 mg
- Sugar 43.3155243156898 g
- Trans Fat 2.50384724972824 g
- Calories 556 calories
Step-by-step
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add garlic and cook for several minutes until it softens. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a smooth paste forms, what you call a roux. Slowly stir in the wine and continue mixing until smooth and then add the milk, mixing well again. Start using a whisk to make sure there are no lumps. Whisk until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Add paprika, salt, pepper and cheeses and stir until melted. When adding the cheese, add a little at a time while still whisking as to not create any lumps.
- Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Drop the pasta into boiling, salted water and cook until al dente, about 12 minutes. The pasta should not be fully cooked; it should have just a touch of firmness when tasted. Drain well. Try to time this with the sauce finishing as well. That way the pasta doesn't sit in the pan waiting for you and overcook.
- Roughly chop lobster meat and add to the cheese mixture along with the pasta. Stir well to combine and season with salt and pepper again.
- Pour into a large enough ovenproof casserole or similar type of dish. Sprinkle with panko and Parmesan and bake until the mixture is heated through and the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. When it starts to bubble a lot, it's done.
Undercooking the pasta before it enters the oven remains the most frequent error committed when preparing baked macaroni dishes. Because the noodles continue absorbing moisture and residual heat throughout a twenty-to-thirty-minute bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, starting with pasta that is already fully softened guarantees a mushy final texture. Pulling penne or elbow pasta from boiling salted water at the twelve-minute mark leaves a firm center that withstands the heavy dairy bath.
- Scaling this recipe up or down requires careful attention to the roux ratio, maintaining equal parts butter and flour by weight to ensure proper thickening power for varying quantities of milk and wine.
- When incorporating the 1 percent milk and dry white wine into the cooked flour paste, transition immediately from a wooden spoon to a stainless steel balloon whisk to aggressively shear apart starch agglomerations before the temperature rises too high.
- Gauge doneness visually rather than relying on thermal probes by watching for vigorous bubbling across the entire casserole surface accompanied by deep golden-brown toasted panko crumbs.
- Chop the cooked lobster meat into distinct, bite-sized chunks rather than shredding it finely so the expensive shellfish maintains structural integrity amidst the rich blend of white cheddar, smoked mozzarella, goat cheese, and gorgonzola.
Allow the assembled casserole to rest for ten minutes after exiting the oven so the internal starches can stabilize and thicken the sauce. Proper temperature management during the baking phase prevents the delicate shellfish proteins from turning tough and rubbery.
