To celebrate their one-year anniversary, Barton G. LA cracked open their menu and shared the secrets behind one of their most popular dishes, the Lobster Truffle Mac & Cheese. If you haven’t been by this Los Angeles restaurant yet (there’s a second location in Miami Beach), what have you been waiting for? Full of unique dishes that are always presented in unusual ways (like the Pot Pie Garden dessert that comes in flower pots), Barton G. brings some much-needed whimsy and fun to fine dining.

Lobster Truffle Mac & Cheese

“You can certainly make individual servings as we have instructed in the recipe, but why not really make a statement by using the lobster shell as a serving dish? By carefully extracting the meat from the cooked lobster, cleaning the shell, and creating openings in the body, claws, and tail with a Dremel tool, you can stuff the shell with the filling, sprinkle with the cheese and bread crumbs, and then give it a final toasting under the broiler. Your centerpiece is the lobster itself!”

Yields: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 (1 1/2-pound) Maine lobsters, cooked
• 3 tablespoons sea salt, plus extra for seasoning
• 1 pound cavatappi pasta

Cheese Sauce Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup lobster or fish stock
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
• 2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
• 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 1 tablespoon truffle oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped canned black truffles
• Freshly ground black pepper

Bread Crumb Topping Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese

Directions:

Remove the meat from the claws and tail of the lobsters. Cut the meat into one-inch chunks. Bring five quarts of water and the three tablespoons of sea salt to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta and cook for seven minutes or until al dente. Drain and set aside.

For the Cheese Sauce:

In a large, heavy saucepan set over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk for one minute. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the stock, milk and cream, and whisk until smooth. Continue cooking for five minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Add the nutmeg and whisk to combine.

Remove from the heat and add the Gruyère, white cheddar and Colby Jack cheeses, and stir until melted and smooth. Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine. Add the lobster meat, truffle oil, and chopped truffles. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Divide the mixture among four individual, oven-safe, casserole dishes or transfer to one large dish (or a well-cleaned lobster shell—see headnote) for a family-size portion.

Preheat the broiler.

For the Bread Crumb Topping:

Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the bread crumbs and toss until golden. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, transfer the breadcrumbs to a paper towel–lined plate, and spread to cool. Combine the cooled bread crumbs with the parsley, tarragon and sea salt.

Top the casseroles with the shredded yellow cheese and sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture.

Broil the casseroles for two minutes or until the cheese is melted and the breadcrumbs are a deep golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.