With Thanksgiving right around the corner I wanted to post a little bit about the Thanksgiving holiday at The Gourmet Foodie Blog household. I love Thanksgiving! What food blogger in their right mind wouldn’t? I mean, who could wish for a holiday more focused on food then Thanksgiving itself?!?

I personally feel blessed as my family has a long standing tradition of getting the largest group of family and friends (all are welcome at our celebration) possible together for the holiday! An average Thanksgiving holiday will have 12 – 15 people minimum! With this many people in attendance leaving the cooking to one individual or couple would be utter insanity. So The Gourmet Foodie Blog family; (like many other large families I assume) have each couple (or individual) responsible for a dish. The dishes range from gourmet desserts, to secret family recipes that have been passed from one generation to the next.

For Jess and I we use this holiday as an opportunity to expose our family to some of our favorite recipes we have created over the course of the year. As I posted earlier this year one of my favorite recipes of all time was (*wait what*…Was?) lobster macaroni and cheese. Lobster macaroni and cheese is a great way to gourmet up a classic favorite. While many would feel that lobster macaroni and cheese couldn’t be improved upon…. I beg to differ…..

About two months ago Jess and I were enjoying this delectable dish when Jess had an epiphany. How much better would this be with pancetta?!?

“Pancetta?!?” I thought. You’re right! Who doesn’t love Pancetta?!? … Well the only people I can think of are those who don’t already love the flavor of bacon; but that is a sad bunch to begin with.

The idea had been thought of but the opportunity to try this recipe out had been lacking, until this weekend that was. My parents had been working their tails off out at the farm and have had little time to get out so Jess and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give this recipe a try! Well needless to say pancetta macaroni and cheese is a new favorite! So much so that we plan on bringing this gourmet macaroni and cheese to our Thanksgiving celebration so the whole family can get a taste! The Pancetta gives this dish just the right amount of saltiness to create an even more gourmet version of an already gourmet dish. While I’m somewhat disappointed that our gourmet pancetta lobster macaroni and cheese won’t be on the main stage of our event I am excited about the opportunity to share something I love with friends and family!

I hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving from our table to yours!

Pancetta & Lobster Macaroni & Cheese Recipe

Ingredients:

2 seven ounce lobster tails or 1 lobster – room temperature, cut into small cunks
12 ounces pancetta diced
5 ounces unsalted butter
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cup whole milk
3 ounces Cheddar, shredded
3 ounces Fontina, shredded
3 ounces Gruyere, shredded
12 ounces macaroni pasta

Directions:

1. Cut the butter in to once ounce cubes. Place 4 ounces of butter in a small pot and melt slowly over low heat.
2. Add the lobster meat and cook for 5 -7 minutes or opaque in color. Claw meat will cook faster so make sure to check this after 3 – 4 minutes of cooking.
3. When cooked remove from heat and remove lobster meat. Set aside.
4. In a small pan cook the pancetta until slightly crispy.
5. Place a pot on high heat with heavily salted water for boiling the macaroni.
6. Melt 1 ounce butter in medium sized pot over medium/high heat. Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes stirring constantly until the mixture browns and develops a nutty smell.
7. Stir in the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Add the milk and, again, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes.
8. While this is simmering your water should have reached a roaring boil. Add macaroni to your pot of boiling salted water.
9. When your cream sauce has simmered for 3 minutes slowly add the three cheeses, a handful at a time, and stir until fully incorporated.
10. When the pasta is fully cooked pour the pasta into a colander to drain off water. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the cheese sauce. Mix well. Fold in the cooked lobster meat and pancetta; serve immediately.

*Post Update* I have recently added another version of this gourmet macaroni and cheese recipe Gourmet Pancetta Lobster Macaroni & Cheese

I think it’s about time for me to give you one of my favorite recipes. It’s one that combines the two worlds in which I live; in a Martha Stewart meets everyone else sort of way. I think that there is this stigma about the world of gourmet cooking and the difficulty involved in its creation.

To me really “gourmet” cooking has more to do with the ingredients then the way in which the plate is decorated. While something can look elegant via photos it can also be something completely different when tasted. The Fancy Fast Food blog is a perfect example of this.

Fancy Fast Food blog takes every day fast food items and makes them look gourmet by changing the way in which they are presented. While the meal looks gourmet it really doesn’t taste that way! This is why I believe that ingredients play more of a crucial role in creating a gourmet meal then presentation. Now don’t get me wrong presentation does play an integral part in creating a meal it may not be the end all be all to the definition of gourmet cooking!

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese brings the best of both worlds together. While the presentation is seemingly that of an everyday meal the flavor and complexity is definitely gourmet!

This Lobster Macaroni and Cheese is my go to recipe when I feel like making a down home meal that still has the flavors and complexities of a truly gourmet creation. Not only is this meal delicious, Lobster Macaroni and Cheese is kid friendly too! To begin your lobster macaroni and cheese melt 4 oz of butter in a small pan over low heat.

When the butter has melted add your lobster and let cook for 5 – 7 minutes or until the lobster becomes opaque in color. I usually opt to go with two 7 oz lobster tails rather than use a whole lobster to avoid additional steps in preparation. You can use a full size lobster just make sure to extract the meat properly. * Remember claw meat will cook faster and will probably need to be extracted around the 3 – 4 minute mark. Remove the lobster from the butter when cooked and set aside. While this is cooking put a pot of heavily salted water on the stove to boil.

Now it’s time to create your sauce. Start by making a simple roux which is done by melting 1 oz of butter slowly on a medium/high heat. Once the butter has melted add a tablespoon of flower and stir constantly for about 2 minutes or until it begins to brown and give off a nutty smell. This is where you pour in your heavy cream.

Bring your cream to a boil and then add your milk. Bring this to a boil then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 3 minutes.

Your water should be boiling by now so it’s time to add your macaroni noodles. I choose to go with larger macaroni noodles as the larger openings in the pasta allow for larger amounts of cheesy sauce to be contained within each bite.

When your cream sauce has cooked for 3 minutes slowly add your cheese 1 handful at a time. Be sure to allow each handful to fully melt before adding the next handful to ensure that your sauce doesn’t become clumpy in the end.

Once your noodles have finished cooking and you have strained them combine your cheese sauce and noodles in a bowl. When they have been fully combined carefully fold in your lobster that was set aside earlier. You can serve it from this bowl or place each individuals serving in a ramekin with a small piece of lobster meat on top. Bon Appetit!

Lobster Macaroni & Cheese Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 seven ounce lobster tails or 1 lobster – room temperature, cut into small cunks
5 ounces unsalted butter
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cup whole milk
3 ounces Cheddar, shredded
3 ounces Fontina, shredded
3 ounces Gruyere, shredded
12 ounces macaroni pasta

Directions:

1. Cut the butter in to once ounce cubes. Place 4 ounces of butter in a small pot and melt slowly over low heat.
2. Add the lobster meat and cook for 5 -7 minutes or opaque in color. Claw meat will cook faster so make sure to check this after 3 – 4 minutes of cooking.
3. When cooked remove from heat and remove lobster meat. Set aside.
4. Place a pot on high heat with heavily salted water for boiling the macaroni.
5. Melt 1 ounce butter in medium sized pot over medium/high heat. Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes stirring constantly until the mixture browns and develops a nutty smell.
6. Stir in the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Add the milk and, again, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes.
7. While this is simmering your water should have reached a roaring boil. Add macaroni to your pot of boiling salted water.
8. When your cream sauce has simmered for 3 minutes slowly add the three cheeses, a handful at a time, and stir until fully incorporated.
9. When the pasta is fully cooked pour the pasta into a colander to drain off water. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the cheese sauce. Mix well. Fold in the cooked lobster meat and serve immediately.

To continue this week’s Mother’s Day Brunch recap I bring you the second recipe I prepared for that special day. A frittata is a type of Italian omelette, the main difference between the traditional omelette as many American’s know and the frittata is the way in which it is prepared.

A frittata was originally prepared by partially cooking on the stove and was finished on the grill. While this may produce a slightly better tasting outcome, now a days it is significantly easier to prepare fully on the stove. A frittata pan can be found at many retailers throughout the country; however, they are generally extremely expensive.

The difference between a frittata pan and a regular pan is the fact that it has two pans on top of each other which have been locked in the back on a hinge to make it easier to flip without spilling. I personally do not own one of these pans as I don’t feel that shelling out $150 on a pan that has only one purpose is a great idea. I like to take two pans (that are of the same size) and put them over each other. This is fully capable of yielding you the same final results only less expensive as you can see above.

I found this recipe a while back on the Williams-Sonoma website while I was doing a little online shopping for my kitchen. I made some slight adjustments and produced a result that anyone’s mother would adore! I decided to make this recipe for two reasons. The first being that asparagus is currently in season, and the second being that you can easily add or subtract ingredients within a frittata to create completely different flavor combinations without significantly changing the structured output. Experimenting is highly encouraged!

The first step in creating a frittata is preparing your egg mixture. For this particular frittata we used eggs, chives, tarragon and pancetta (oh how I love pancetta; the saltiness of this meat really adds great character to the dish!)

Once the eggs have been mixed thoroughly we add the goat cheese and asparagus. Adding this now instead of the step before will keep the goat cheese from becoming dissolved in the mixture as you beat the eggs and will give you small spots of cheesy gooeyness! You will then put this in your improvised frittata pan and cook for 8 minutes. Flip, and cook for another 10 minutes, then flip again…..

Place your fully cooked frittata on a serving platter and let it cool. Your frittata, or fancy omelette as my wife refers to them as, will be perfectly prepared and ready to devour. Bon appetite!

Asparagus & Goat Cheese Frittata
Adjusted slightly from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

• 12 eggs
• 3 Tbs. finely chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 tsp. finely chopped fresh tarragon
• 3 oz. cubed pancetta
• 1/2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 6 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 lb. asparagus, tough ends trimmed, spears steamed until just tender and cooled
• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 leek, thinly sliced and rinsed well

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, chives, tarragon, pancetta, the 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper. Stir in 4 oz. of the cheese. Cut enough asparagus ends into 1/4-inch lengths to measure 3/4 cup and add to the egg mixture. Reserve the remaining asparagus spears.
2. In the deep half of a frittata pan over medium heat, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter. Add the leek and salt and cook until the leek is tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer to the egg mixture.
3. In the deep half of the frittata pan over medium heat, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter. Add the egg mixture and cook, scraping the sides and bottom of the pan with a rubber spatula to allow the uncooked eggs to flow underneath, 3 to 4 minutes. Place the shallow pan upside down on top of the deep pan and cook for 6 to 8 minutes more.
4. Remove from the heat, uncover the deep pan and arrange the reserved asparagus spears on top of the frittata in a spoke formation. Meanwhile, set the shallow half of the pan over medium heat and melt the remaining 1 Tbs. butter.
5. Place the shallow pan upside down on top of the deep pan and flip the frittata into the shallow pan. Cook, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes. Flip the frittata back into the deep pan, then slide the frittata onto a serving plate. Let stand for 5 minutes. Top the frittata with the remaining cheese and serve.