Lobster Mac and Cheese

Prep the lobster by boiling it in water for 8 minutes. Place in cold water to cool it down.

Remove the claws from the body and spilt the lobster down the centre of the back with a sharp knife, so you have two equal parts.  Take care not to damage the shell as this will be used for serving.

Open the claws by twisting with a knife and pull claw meat out.

Remove the tail meat again, taking care not to damage shell.

Extract and discard the tract.  Behind the eyes and mouth is the grit, or stomach sac; remove and discard this.

Also, inside the body will be the liver (tomalley), which will have changed colour from grey to greenish grey when cooked. This is a delicacy and should be kept separate to the meat to be used in the macaroni – carefully scoop it out using a teaspoon.

Dice the lobster meat. Place half the meat back in the shell, pile it up high at the thick end of the shell and pour over a little bit of melted butter.  Season with salt and pepper.

Julienne carrot, leek, courgette and mange tout (topped and tailed, with any stringy bits removed).

Parboil macaroni on a hot hob with salted water for a 6 minutes.

In a hot pan melt butter and fry fresh bread crumbs until golden.  Add a handful of grated parmesan to get cheesy, crunchy breadcrumbs.  Season crumbs with salt and pepper.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and Place the carrots and leeks in. After 2 minutes of cooking add the mange tout and then the courgette and cook for a further minute. Drain & keep warm.

Pour cream in a pan. Add plenty of grated black pepper and salt – bring to a boil. Add parboiled macaroni to the cream and continue to boil – moving continuously so as not to burn the cream. Add the remaining lobster meat and take it off the heat.  Stir in grated parmesan and lobster tomalley to give it a big kick of flavor.  Stir well until cheese melts.

Place the macaroni sauce in the empty end of the lobster shell.

Add more parmesan on top of mac and cheese and whack under the grill until warmed through and bubbling

Melt butter on the stove in a pot with finely chopped chives, basil leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice and mix to flavor.

Plate the lobster shells on a bed of julienne vegetables, top with crunchy crumbs and drizzle with butter mixture.