When you grow up in New England, you come to crave lobster.

By-the-seashore lobster, that is, not the ones in a large fish tank as you enter a national restaurant chain.

When Thomas was a little guy, he even included a lobster in the family crest he designed in art class.

Our family Christmas tradition the past half-dozen years or so is mid-afternoon Lobster Grilled Cheese Sandwiches shipped frozen from Maine, thanks to GoldBelly.com.

And so, when Gary and I went out to eat at Friends & Co. restaurant while visiting Mom and Dad a number of years ago, there was no ignoring the Lobster Mac & Cheese listed on the menu.

From my description, James was soon a big fan and we searched online for a recipe.

Creating a batch of homemade Lobster Mac & Cheese became a Friday night ritual each winter while James was in high school, as we packed up a meal for him to take on the bus early the next morning as Winter Percussion took their group hours away for competition.

Be warned: this recipe includes some “stinky” cheese.

James told me that as soon as he opened his thermos on the bus, the complaints began. But the steaming Lobster M&C warmed his soul, so he didn’t mind the ribbing.

Lobster Mac & Cheese

This freezes well, so I usually make a double or even triple batch. This recipe, though, is for a single batch.

1 lb. pasta (we use penne, but other shapes will do as well)
Meat from a 2 pound lobster (we scoured area stores for lobster with limited success and ended up substituting a frozen 1 lb. package of Louis Kemp brand “Crab Delights”)
5 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, minced or diced
1 clove garlic, minced
5 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 lb Gruyere cheese, shredded
3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup grated Romano cheese

Wait to cook the pasta until the cheese sauce is well underway.

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until softened and translucent. Slowly add flour, whisking throughout as mixture turns into a thick, but smooth, paste.

Slowly add milk (it’s best to warm the milk ahead of time), continuing to whisk. About 1/2 cup at a time is best, as the milk will thin out the roux and then thicken again as it warms to a near boil.

Start adding the three cheeses (to taste) and continue to whisk occasionally as it melts. This should take 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in cooked lobster or defrosted Crab Delights (ugh, I wish it had a more dignified name!).

Boil pasta to al dente, following the package directions. Drain and return to pot, layering with cheese sauce.

Optional: Some recipes recommend one more step (which we always skip in our eagerness to grab a bowl). The final step is to place mixture in a buttered casserole dish, top with bread crumbs, and bake in a 350 oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

The pungent flavor from the Romano cheese desperately calls for relief after your meal is complete. You can brush your teeth, certainly, or settle back with a frosted brownie to nibble while sipping a cup of strong coffee.

Although this is not my mom’s recipe, the end result is the closest I’ve found over the years. The brownies are chewy, while the top layer is crisp. Whip up a quick batch of buttercream frosting if you want to add color and even more sweetness.

Bestest Brownies

Melt 3 sticks of butter in a large saucepan. Remove from heat and add 3 cups sugar, 5 eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla, stirring well with a wooden spoon after each addition. Next stir in 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup cocoa, 1 teaspoon baking powder. Optional: 1 cup chopped walnuts.

Spread mixture in buttered 13″ x 9″ pan and bake in 350 oven for 45-50 minutes (brownies will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan). If you’d like to add frosting, wait till the brownies have cooled completely. Gradually add a box of sifted confectioner’s sugar to one stick of softened butter. Stir with fork or use your mixer, adding 1 teaspoon of vanilla plus 2-3 tablespoons of cream (or half-and-half, or simply milk) until spreadable consistency. For a more buttery flavor, cut back some on the sugar.

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