Cooking With Beer – Lobster And Lager Mac & Cheese

(Courtesy Beer Institute)

Festive foods take on new meaning when made with serious beer. And with things cooling down this seasonal dish will impress, especially when it’s made with the right lager.

This recipe, which comes our way from the Beer Institute, a national trade organization that advocates for big and small brewers, was created for them by Chef Laurent Aubel.

Although the recipe calls for any lager, we used Scrag Mountain Pils, a 4.8% ABV Czech-Style Pilsner from Lawson’s Finest Liquids that’s a tribute to Waitsfield, Vermont’s pure water source which comes from an ancient aquifer deep beneath Scrag Mountain.

So let’s do this!

Lobster and Lager Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

1 lb. elbow pasta
2 fresh lobsters
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 springs fresh thyme, finely chop
2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup gruyere cheese, shredded
1 cup white cheddar, shredded
1 cup lager
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
½ lemon
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and water

Directions

Over high-heat, bring a large pot filled with water and a pinch of salt to a boil. When boiling, add dry pasta and cook approximately 8 minutes. Drain pasta and drizzle with a little olive oil to keep it from stick, set aside.

Over high-heat, bring a large pot of water, lemon, and Old Bay to a boil. Add the lobsters head first into the pot and cover. Return water to a low-boil and steam lobsters for approximately 7 minutes per pound. Lobsters will be bright red when done.

Remove lobsters and put them in ice water. Remove the meat and cut into bit sized pieces. If possible, save a couple of the larger pieces of lobster shell.

In a saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil, shallots, garlic, thyme, and lobster shells, cooking for 3-5 minutes. Add lager beer and let reduce for 3-5 minutes and then add cream. Simmer over medium-heat for 20 minutes.

Strain mixture (removing lobster shells) and transfer to a sauce pan adding gruyere and cheddar, combine until smooth (additional heat may be required). Season cheese sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Add lobster and macaroni until combined.

In a 9-inch x 13-inch pan, add macaroni mixture. Sprinkle with panko crumbs and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Just before serving, sprinkle the fresh chopped parsley.

###

Want more Cooking with Beer recipes?

We’ve got them…

HOPNOSIS IPA LOBSTER ROLL