Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

Kosher salt, to taste
12 ounces elbow macaroni
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
1 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/4 cup flour
3 1/2 cups milk
4 ounces grated Gruyère (about 1 1/2 cups)
4 ounces grated Comte (about 1 1/2 cups)
4 ounces grated fontina (about 1 1/2 cups)
8 ounces cooked lobster meat, cut into 1 inch chunks*
1/3 cup minced chives
2 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a 4 quart saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until not quite al dente, about 3-4 minutes. Drain pasta, transfer to a bowl, and set aside.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a 4-quart saucepan over low heat. Add the breadcrumbs and Parmesan, toss to combine, and transfer to a small bowl. Set aside.

Wipe out the pan and set over medium heat. Melt the remaining butter and whisk in the flour until smooth. Whisk in the milk and cook, continuing to whisk often, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Stir in the Gruyère, 1 cup of the Comte, and 1 cup of the fontina and whisk until the cheese is melted and incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove pan from heat and stir in the reserved pasta. Add in the cooked lobster pieces, half of the chives, and half of the scallions. Stir well to combine.

Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and top with the remaining Comte and fontina. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over the top and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Beer & Cheese Sauce

Beer and Cheese Sauce
From Rochelle Bilow

1 head of garlic, cut in half lengthwise, skin kept on
½ teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
½ cup beer (I like ale or lager for this)
1 fresh jalapeno, chopped finely
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the garlic in a rimmed roasting pan or casserole dish, cut side up, and rub with the oil. Bake in the oven for 1½ hours, until very fragrant and creamy. Once the garlic has cooled enough to handle, slip it out of the skin.

Pick out 3 to 5 cloves of garlic, depending on their size, and rub them all over the bottom and sides of a medium-size pot. Place the pot over medium heat. Add the butter to the pan and let it melt. Once frothing, add the flour and stir with a whisk until combined -- it will have the texture of putty or clay. Stir for 1 to 2 minutes more over medium heat.

Add the beer and the cheese and heat until the cheese has melted. Continue to stir as the mixture comes together, to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot. Stir in the jalapeno and a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Taste, then adjust seasoning as needed. Transfer to a warm bowl and serve with chips, bread or pretzels -- anything but vegetables.

Makes a little over a cup.

Tiramisu Cupcakes

To substitute coffee liqueur, combine 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp instant coffee granules and 1 tsp rum extract. Microwave, uncovered, on high 1–2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved; cool.

Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes:
1 box any brand devil's food cake mix
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
3 tablespoons waterFor the Topping Layers:
1/3 cup coffee liqueur
16 ounces mascarpone or cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups thawed frozen whipped topping (or 1 pint regular whipped cream)
Shaved chocolate or unsweetened cocoa powder
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or just rub the insides with cooking oil.

2. To make the cakes, combine the cake mix, combine cake mix, sour cream, egg, coffee granules and water. The batter should be thick.

If using regular sized muffin pans: divide batter evenly among cups of pan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean.

If using Pampered Chef Deluxe Mini Muffin Pan: spoon 1 tablespoon of filling in each cup. Bake 8-10 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Repeat with remaining batter.

3. Meanwhile, mix together the mascarpone cheese, just 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, vanilla extract. Put in plastic bag for piping and set aside. You can also place your whipped topping in a plastic bag for piping and refrigerate until needed. Place remaining 2 tablespoons of the powered sugar in a small bowl and have your tart-shaper (or whatever you will use to create the indentations) ready.

4. When the cakes are done, immediately make the indentations with the tart-shaper. Dip the tart-shaper in the powdered sugar to prevent the cake from sticking to tart-shaper. Brush the tops of each cake with the coffee liqueur. Move the cakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.

5. Trim corners of both bags. Pipe filling over cakes. Pipe whipped topping over filling. Sprinkle with shaved chocolate or cocoa powder.

Coconut Shrimp Curry

It’s that time of year again: the holidays have passed, the reality of winter sets in, and I have a bout of culinary wanderlust. Over-sated with the goodies of Christmas-past, it’s now time for comfort and heat. I crave stews and spice, at once hearty and exotic. The warmth of soup soothes the soul on a wintry night, while aromatic spices titillate the senses, hinting of sunny far flung destinations. Heady and satisfying, I can’t think of a better way to embrace the cold, grey January weather.

Coconut Shrimp Curry

This recipe may be easily prepared in 20 minutes – just enough time to cook the rice. Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 – 28 ounce can Italian plum tomatoes
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup cilantro/coriander leaves, coarsely chopped

Heat oil in deep skillet or soup pot. Add onion and sauté until soft but not brown, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, jalapeno, ginger and sauté until fragrant, 1 minute. Add curry powder and continue sautéing, 1 minute. Add tomatoes, coconut milk, salt and pepper; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp and cook until they turn pink and are just cooked through. Stir in cilantro. Taste to adjust seasoning. Serve immediately in bowls with basmati rice.