Ingredients
- 1 pound good quality short pasta, such as ziti
- 4 cups shredded cheese. (I used 2 cups Gruyere, about 1 1/2 cups white cheddar, and a half-cup Havarti. You can mix and match according to what’s in your fridge and which are your favorites.)
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into chunks
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus another
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- Several splashes of Tabasco sauce, to taste
- Meat from the claws and tails of two lobsters
- 2 or 3 slices of good quality bread for bread crumbs
Preparation
- Grate the cheeses and set them aside. Melt the butter in a large pan over low heat, and stir in the flour to make a roux. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until everything is absorbed and the white sauce is beginning to thicken. Stir in the grated cheese and the cream cheese. Whisk until smooth.
- Toast the bread, break it into crumbs, add a tablespoon of melted butter, and set aside.
- Cook the pasta in boiling water, but for two minutes shorter than your package tells you.
- Tear or cut the lobster meat into bite-size chunks, and whisk this into the cheese mixture. Stir the white cheese sauce into the pasta. Pour this into a well-greased 9 x 13“ pan.
- Top with the buttered breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 for half an hour until everything is piping hot and the top is starting to brown.
Reprinted with permission from Lucy Burdette, author of “A Deadly Feast”, copyright 2019
