Mizuna Lobster Mac N' Cheese

Recipe courtesy Frank Bonanno, Denver, Colorado, 2007

Show: Food Network ChallengeEpisode: Mac and Cheese

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (11)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(11)

Cook Time:
20 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
4 servings

Times:

Prep: 30 min
Inactive Prep: 40 min
Cook: 20 min
Total:: 1 hr 30 min

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Directions

For the lobster:

Ingredients

Salt
2 (1 1/2-pound) lobsters

For the beurre blanc:

1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 large shallot, sliced
1/2 cup heavy cream
12 ounces high quality butter, cubed

For the pasta:

Salt
12 ounces elbow pasta

For the lobster oil:

Lobster shells (from above)
2 cups vegetable oil
1 tablespoon paprika

To assemble:

4 ounces high quality butter
8 ounces mascarpone
Freshly ground white pepper
Chervil, to garnish

For the lobster:

Separate the tails and claws from the lobster and place the claws in a heat proof container large enough to cover completely with water, do the same with the tails. Bring a large pot of salted water up to a boil and pour over the tails and claws, let the tails sit for 6 minutes and the claws for 8 minutes, remove and plunge into an ice bath. When the lobster parts are cool, remove the meat from the shell. Keep the meat refrigerated and save the shells for the lobster oil.

For the beurre blanc:

Place white wine, vinegar, peppercorns, and shallots in a nonreactive pan and reduce down until au sec (almost dry), add the heavy cream and reduce down by 2/3 and drop in butter slowly, whisking constantly. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and hold warm till ready to use.

For the pasta:

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the elbow pasta for 1 minute less than the package indicates. Drain and cool and hold until ready for use.

For the lobster oil:

Take the bodies from the lobster and place in a pot with 2 cups of vegetable oil and bring up to very hot almost frying and let sit for 10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon paprika and let sit for 30 minutes and strain through a fine mesh sieve or coffee filter.

To assemble:

In a large saute pan, melt the butter and add the chilled lobster, when the lobster begins to warm add the mascarpone cheese and allow to melt, stirring constantly. Add the macaroni and just warm through and pour in enough of the Beurre Blanc to make it saucy. Season with salt and white pepper, to taste, and serve with chervil garnish and lobster oil.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Mizuna Lobster Mac N' Cheese
jody Denver, CO 11-18-2009
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heaven!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

whomever posted the last review with 1 star must have done something drastically wrong! we've made this twice and it is one... of my favorite recipes...we are lucky enough to have Mizuna in Denver but won't try this dish there....I know Frank's will be better than what we do at home and I don't won't to ruin the perfection we think we have ;-) ...maybe one day we'll try the real thing...but until then this is a recipe we will make time and time again! a must make!!Read more
recipe Mizuna Lobster Mac N' Cheese
Dale Taunton, MA 10-18-2009
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I say awful! Everyone else says it was.....ok?
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

Never in my life have I gone to such great lengths to distroy a perfectly good lobster! YUCK
recipe Mizuna Lobster Mac N' Cheese
MERIDITH Cambridge, MA 06-28-2009
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Rich and Delicious...definite "occasion" food
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I'd been wanting to try making lobster mac & cheese for some time, but when I found this recipe, I knew I'd have to have a... good excuse to make something so rich. My husband was planning to ride in a 150-mile bike ride from Boston to Cape Cod to raise money for MS, and you KNOW you need to carb load before a trip like that, so..... First of all, yes--four sticks of butter is a lot. But, you can easily justify it if you don't serve this as a large entree portion. It may have a lot of fat in it, but it's all there for a reason (flavor, texture, depth), and it's important to the dish (and especially important to making a good buerre blanc!) Just plan to make the portions smaller than you might with a normal pasta entree, and pair it with a nice salad and seasonal veg side. I did an arugula, watermelon, red onion salad with fresh herbs and balsamic vinaigrette (June in Boston means a lot of nice arugula!) I used medium-sized shell-shaped pasta instead of elbows, to reflect the spirit of the dish, and really liked the toothsome texture it added to the dish. The larger pasta shape nestled with some of the chunks of lobster and sauce nicely, too. Didn't have chervil in my store either, so I just snipped some chives from my garden. The fresh, green herbs and the smoky, red lobster/paprika oil really made for a beautiful, tasty garnish. Going to try to reheat some leftovers today. Planning to re-heat on the stove at low heat, so as to not break the sauce, as would happen in a microwave. Read more
recipe Mizuna Lobster Mac N' Cheese
Lee Parkville, MD 06-05-2009
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Excellent
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

What a great recipe....and with regard to Ryan's review from Melbourne, FL-I heve never read anything so offensive on Food... Network. His remarks obviously indicate he has the intelligence of a lobster at best.Read more
recipe Mizuna Lobster Mac N' Cheese
Anne Englewood, CO 05-11-2009
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Awesome
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Even my picky kids loved this. I think 12oz of butter to too much, next time will make the beurre blanc with less butter. ... Also used lump crab with the lobster. Didn't make the lobster oil as I seasoned the lobster and crab water when cooking. Otherwise a great recipe, perfect for company!Read more
recipe Mizuna Lobster Mac N' Cheese
lyn cincinnati, OH 01-19-2009
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I'd request this dish for my last meal!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

My turn for dinner club and, oh joy, I get the chef in the group assigned to my house. I did a theme dinner of 'classic... pairings': weenies and beans (chicken sausage in brioche and tuscan bean salad), tuna salad (nicoise with grilled ahi tuna), grilled cheese and tomato soup(roasted tomato and roasted yellow pepper soups with serrano cream and grilled eggplant, zucchini and smoked mozzarella mini-panini) with the grand finale being mac n' cheese (lobster mac n' cheese). I followed most of the recipe to the letter, except that I made a stock from the lobster bodies and shells, reduced it and added it to the beurre blanc and I made a chive oil instead of lobster oil (pretty green addition to the plate with a few roasted asparagus). The chef applauded and more than one guest was spied using a finger to get the lingering schmeer of sauce from the plate. My only complaint was that killing the lobsters with a knife instead of the old boiling water plung was the grossest thing ever. They keep moving for a long time. Ugh. Next time I'll make my husband do that!Read more