It's my birthday, and a few hours ago, I had my family over for a low-key "night before birthday" dinner. I like to cook when I have time, and am a raging control freak (yes, it's true...), so instead of going out for dinner or having someone else cook for me, I came up with a menu of things I liked and a few things I wanted to experiment with:
- Spiced brie and brandy fondue with an assortment of cubed apples (grannys, honeycrisp, and braeburn) and pears (Asian and bosc),
- Filet mignon with herb butter (my "go-to" birthday meat of choice since I was a teen),
- French green beans with crimini mushrooms (plus garlic, shallots and cream,)
- Crawfish mac and cheese (with Gruyere, fresh shaved Parmesan, sharp cheddar and more...)
Everything was delish... but the crawfish mac and cheese--the side dish I crossed my fingers while making--was a STANDOUT. I had wanted to come up with an at-home hearty mac and cheese featuring a shellfish for quite some time, especially after watching some friends enjoy a fancy-pants version of a lobster mac and cheese during a girls' night out. And originally I absolutely had intended on using lobster, but after assessing the $38.50/lb price tag at the store and the questionable output of the recipe swirling around in my head, it was a no-brainer for lobster to take a backseat. I decided upon crawfish for my side dish gamble.
Not only was the finished product delicious, super rich in texture, and visually appealing, but you could not tell at ALL that it was also GLUTEN FREE. Now that might not mean much to most people, but for the growing number of people discovering they have Celiac disease or another life-changing wheat intolerance, it is difficult at best to find comfort foods - let alone classic pasta dishes - that allow you to REALLY forget nutritional limitations, even for a moment. Why gluten free for my dinner menu? My mom is on the permanent gluten free train (Celiac), and I wanted to make sure most everything I made for the dinner was suitable for everyone. But the good news is that the recipe can quite easily be modified for the non-gluten free set but using regular pasta and regular breadcrumbs. Easy!
Bottom line: This was DELICIOUS, and I don't think I would change a thing from this original go. If you like mac and cheese, and you like shellfish, you need to check it out, and give it a try! Disclaimers: This version of the recipe makes a good 10 or so servings, maybe more...? Was hard to tell how much it REALLY made since most people at my house tonight took seconds or thirds. And I just started throwing things into pans and adjusting as I went, writing things down--I think I got everything recorded correctly! I am NOT a chef, and I do NOT write recipes like the professionals do, so my ingredients are in the order of when I used them :) ...Oh and please do NOT ask about nutritional content. I am sure none of us want to know!!!!
Ingredients
16 ounces gluten free elbow macaroni (I prefer brown rice pasta for this -- it holds up best)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ lb crawfish meat, shelled and chopped into ½" sections (OK to use precooked or frozen if fresh isn’t available, but be sure to drain off excess liquid)
1/4 stick salted butter
8 ounces whipped cream cheese, preferably chive flavor (sub regular/non-whipped if necessary)
8 ounces fresh grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese
24 ounces heavy cream
32 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese (reserve 2 cups for topping)
salt/pepper to taste
1 t. cayenne pepper
1 cup gluten free breadcrumbs - use as much as you like! (or substitute gluten free cornflakes, crushed)
2 T. fresh oregano, finely chopped
Cook macaroni as directed on package, but do NOT overcook – keep pasta on the al dente side for sure as it will cook in the oven as well. Drain and set aside. In a large, deep sauté pan on medium heat, add olive oil, shallots and garlic, and cook 3-5 minutes or until shallots are opaque. Add crawfish meat to pan and cook until no longer opaque. (Note: If you are using already cooked meat, be sure to drain it well and skip to the next step). Turn heat down to low and fold in the cream cheese and the butter. Be sure to stir frequently, scraping the bottom clean, to keep heat even and prevent any scalding--a sturdy silicone whisk works GREAT for this purpose. After 10 or so minutes simmering on low, slowly add in the cheddar cheese (be sure to reserve 2 cups for later!), Parmesan, and Gruyere. Keep on low heat, continuing to stir frequently until well blended and cheeses are smoothly incorporated. Gradually add cream, cayenne, and salt/pepper to taste, stirring until smooth. Turn cooked/drained macaroni into a large glass casserole pan, then carefully pour crawfish and cheese mixture on top. Carefully turn over with spatula, fully incorporating all of the ingredients. Sprinkle reserved cheddar cheese on top, then sprinkle with breadcrumbs and top with oregano. Cover with foil (I tent it to keep cheese where it belongs and not wasted on the foil!), and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes until breadcrumbs are just a little toasty and cheese is a light golden brown.
If you try it, let me know! But for now, my food coma awaits...
no, I did not catch the critters in my parents creek :) I caught them at Wegmans.
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