Seafood Mac au Gratin

Recently, at a local restaurant, I ordered the lobster mac and cheese special. It was good but not great - more like macaroni and cheese with 'essence of lobster.' I kept thinking this dish had real potential, but let's face it, lobster is expensive. And too much lobster would be overkill. So I decided to turn it into a full-fledged party by adding several layers of seafood to the already popular classic. While I am using lobster, lump crab and bay scallops, feel free to personalize this recipe by using any combination of fish or seafood of your choice.

Ingredients:

1 pound mini macaroni pasta

7 tablespoons butter, unsalted, divided

4 cups milk

½ medium onions, stud with 1 clove

4 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

3 sprigs thyme leaves

1 teaspoon dry mustard

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or hot sauce

pinch nutmeg

salt, to taste

white pepper, to taste

2 cups gruyere cheese, grated

2 cups sharp cheddar, grated

1 cup fontina cheese, grated

1 cup parmesan, divided

½ pound lobster meat, raw and cut into pieces

½ pound lump crabmeat

½ pound bay scallops, raw

¼ cup breadcrumbs

Preparation:

Cook macaroni in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain and toss with 2 tablespoons of the butter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put milk into a saucepan and add the clove studded onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and mustard. Warm over medium low heat until the milk starts to steam, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let the flavors infuse while you make the roux.

In a large pot over medium heat add 4 tablespoons butter and add the flour. Cook, stirring, for about 3 to 4 minutes. Do not let brown. Strain the milk and whisk into the roux to avoid lumps. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt, white pepper, nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Add 1 cup of the gruyere cheese, 1 cup sharp, 1/2 cup fontina and 1/2 cup parmesan. Stir until cheeses are melted. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Coat a 13x9x2 baking dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Put the macaroni into the baking dish. Mix the seafood and evenly distribute over the pasta. Cover with the cheese mixture. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup gruyere, 1 cup sharp, 1/2 cup fontina and 1/2 cup parmesan cheeses and breadcrumbs on top.

Baked until golden brown, about 45 minutes.