Lobster Mac N Cheese

[IRL_Joanie]

You are so very welcome. And may I thank you for all you've done for the HAL cruisers on Cruise Critic. Your website is 100% awesome! I can't imagine how you keep up with it, but I know we all appreciate it so very much! :) :)

 

Thank you!! I enjoy doing these things and I have the time so why not:)

 

As I tell everyone who sends the photos, it is not me doing it, it is all of you!!

 

OK think we need to get back on topic:D Lobster Mac & Cheese and where it can be gotten on a HAL Ship?

 

Joanie

[Oceanwench]

When we were aboard the Westerdam last November, we dined in the PG.

My daughter's boyfriend was torn between the filet mignon and the lobster mac & cheese. He asked if he could have a side of the lobster mac & cheese.

We were told ABSOLUTELY not, it was only available as a main dish. :(

 

He ended up ordering it and he loved it.

 

I never tried it ... not really a lobster fan, plus my cardiologist would have a fit!!!

[superoma]

Hi Sails,

 

Do you think the Chef may have intntionally left out a 'secret ingredient'?? (just kidding, of course! ;))

 

To me the secret ingredient was the fact that when you first had it you didn't have to cook it yourself!!! I am a good cook, but always love it when I don't have to, hence the cruising.

[sail7seas]

luvs2travl.....Thank you so much for posting the recipe.

 

[sail7seas]

When we were aboard the Westerdam last November, we dined in the PG.

My daughter's boyfriend was torn between the filet mignon and the lobster mac & cheese. He asked if he could have a side of the lobster mac & cheese.

We were told ABSOLUTELY not, it was only available as a main dish. :(

 

He ended up ordering it and he loved it.

 

I never tried it ... not really a lobster fan, plus my cardiologist would have a fit!!!

 

 

You are SO right.....that dish is a cardiologist's nightmare!!!! :eek:

It's always such a good idea to take a little taste of such and dine on much healthier salmon....... as is my habit. ;)

Even my ever vigilant cardio would have approved a forkful shared from a small sampling offered for tasting to a table of four. Total denial of small pleasures often leads to excess.

 

Sorry the boyfriend couldn't have a small sampling during your Pinnacle dinner. Try next time he visits Pinnacle on your next cruise with him. Clearly some ships permit those tastes and some do not.

[luvs2travl]

luvs2travl.....Thank you so much for posting the recipe.

 

 

;) No problem!!

[kakalina]

We tried this recipe and had very good luck with it:

 

4 T butter, 2 C finely chopped yellow onions, 4 pcs white leeks, half C shallots, half C red onions, half C freshly chopped scallions, 2 cloves chopped garlic cloves, 4 C chicken stock, 1 T dried tyme, 1 bay leaf, 1 C heavy cream, 1 C croutons for garnish, salt and pepper to taste:

Procedure:

Melt butter in pot and add yellow onions, red onions, leeks, shallots, scallions and garlic.Cook covered over low heat until tender and lightly colored about 25 min. Add chicken stock, thyme, and bayleaf and season to taste. Bring to a boil reduce heat and cook partially covered for 20 min Pour soup through a strainer, reserving the liquid. Transfer half the onions and half the liquid to processor and process till smooth. Make sure you remove the bayleaf before processing. Mix all back together and set over medium heat. Whisk in cream and warm soup. Don't boil it will break down the cream,

This is an official HAL recipe.

[luvs2travl]

You are SO right.....that dish is a cardiologist's nightmare!!!! :eek:

It's always such a good idea to take a little taste of such and dine on much healthier salmon....... as is my habit. ;)

Even my ever vigilant cardio would have approved a forkful shared from a small sampling offered for tasting to a table of four. Total denial of small pleasures often leads to excess.

 

Sorry the boyfriend couldn't have a small sampling during your Pinnacle dinner. Try next time he visits Pinnacle on your next cruise with him. Clearly some ships permit those tastes and some do not.

 

We'll be on the Westerdam in 2 weeks & will let you know! ;) :) I don't think I could possibly eat a full serving of the Lobster Mac & Cheese as a main course. It is simply too rich. DH & I share the side dish and it is just enough to satisfy the craving!! YUM!

[Oceanwench]

You are SO right.....that dish is a cardiologist's nightmare!!!! :eek:

It's always such a good idea to take a little taste of such and dine on much healthier salmon....... as is my habit. ;)

Even my ever vigilant cardio would have approved a forkful shared from a small sampling offered for tasting to a table of four. Total denial of small pleasures often leads to excess.

 

Sorry the boyfriend couldn't have a small sampling during your Pinnacle dinner. Try next time he visits Pinnacle on your next cruise with him. Clearly some ships permit those tastes and some do not.

 

As I mentioned, not a lobster fan anyway, so if I am going to *sin* it will be on a dessert!

Usually we don't go to the PG unless someone we are cruising with wants to. I don't eat red meat, so the menu is not attractive to me.

 

Wasn't the lobster mac & cheese baked in a small casserole dish?

I remember thinking that is why they would not offer a side dish -- because the portions were dinner-size and they did not wish to scoop some out into a side dish.

 

Maybe we should have made a request through the concierge? ;)

[PathfinderEss]

I know I'm a little late in this conversation but I like others love the Lobster Mac and Cheese. I had to laugh, I had wanted to try it for a very long time but my DH kept saying why would you spend the money for Mac and Cheese, which I love and he hates. I finally decided on our last cruise to try it, consequently it is now my favorite thing to eat in the PG. We were on both the Oosterdam and the Zuiderdam in April/May this year, both PG's fixed it as a side dish if you ask, rather then as a main course. I'll take it anyway I can get it.

[luvs2travl]

I know I'm a little late in this conversation but I like others love the Lobster Mac and Cheese. I had to laugh, I had wanted to try it for a very long time but my DH kept saying why would you spend the money for Mac and Cheese, which I love and he hates. I finally decided on our last cruise to try it, consequently it is now my favorite thing to eat in the PG. We were on both the Oosterdam and the Zuiderdam in April/May this year, both PG's fixed it as a side dish if you ask, rather then as a main course. I'll take it anyway I can get it.

 

 

Amen, sister!! ;):D

 

PS: I LOVE your Martini Glass signature!!!

[IRL_Joanie]

We tried this recipe and had very good luck with it:

 

4 T butter, 2 C finely chopped yellow onions, 4 pcs white leeks, half C shallots, half C red onions, half C freshly chopped scallions, 2 cloves chopped garlic cloves, 4 C chicken stock, 1 T dried tyme, 1 bay leaf, 1 C heavy cream, 1 C croutons for garnish, salt and pepper to taste:

Procedure:

Melt butter in pot and add yellow onions, red onions, leeks, shallots, scallions and garlic.Cook covered over low heat until tender and lightly colored about 25 min. Add chicken stock, thyme, and bayleaf and season to taste. Bring to a boil reduce heat and cook partially covered for 20 min Pour soup through a strainer, reserving the liquid. Transfer half the onions and half the liquid to processor and process till smooth. Make sure you remove the bayleaf before processing. Mix all back together and set over medium heat. Whisk in cream and warm soup. Don't boil it will break down the cream,

This is an official HAL recipe.

 

May I use it kakalina?

 

Joanie

[today55]

I would love the receipe. Can you forward me a copy? I Love onion soup. yummy, yummy!!

[sail7seas]

She posted it in this thread at Post #20.

 

Here it is:

 

 

 

Don't mean to butt in on your post to Kakalina, but no - that's not the one I was given. Here is the one I received from the chef on board the Oosterdam, but remember, this is the one for 100 servings, so I divided everything by 4 to prepare for our family of 22 last Christmas:

 

Soup Ingredients:

 

400 grams unsalted butter (1 pound US)

5 kg white onions, cleaned and chopped (11 pounds US)

2 kg red onions, cleaned and chopped (4.4 lbs US)

1 kg medium sized scallions, cleaned and chopped (2.2 lbs US)

2 kg leeks (see below) (4.4 lbs US)

100 gr cleaned garlic, finely chopped (.2 lbs US or 3.5 US ounces)

12 liters vegetable stock ( 12.68 US quarts)

3 gr bay leaves (whole) (.1 US ounce)

10 gr whole marjoram (.35 US ounces)

300 gr corn starch (10.5 US ounces)

0.5 liters white cooking wine ( .53 US quart)

4 liters heavy cream ( 4.23 US quarts)

40 gr table salt (1.4 US ounces)

5 gr ground white pepper (.2 ounces)

 

Soup Garnish:

 

200 gr chives (7 US ounces)

 

Preparation:

1. Cut the leeks, separate the white and the green parts; chop and use only the white part.

2. Heat up the butter and saute the white and red onion, scallions, leeks and garlic on medium heat for around 20-25 minutes, so to give a light color when done. Must stir continually.

3. Fill with 1/3 of the vegetable stock, or cover entire mixture by 3" of liquid.

4. Add the bay leaf and marjoram, simmer until onions are tender.

5. Remove the bay leaf and puree until you have a very fine puree.

6. Add the remaining stock and seasonings, bring to a boil.

7. Mix the wine with the cornstarch, and add slowly to bind the soup.

8. Add the heavy cream very slowly, heat up but do NOT bring to a boil.

9. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

10. Garnish the soup with finely cut chives.

 

Pureeing the soup was the hardest part, as I have only the standard Cuisinart Blender, so I had to do it in small batches. It tasted really good and my family loved it, but to me, it just wasn't the Pinnacle Grill version. Maybe that's because I made it!!

 

Anyway, I will make it again, but haven't done so yet.

[AfriCan]

Just out of curiosity - how is the lobster mac & cheese supposed to be served?

 

I ordered this dish as a main course in the PG on the Eurodam last year. As the PG had two lobster dishes on the menu that night, the server brought me the other dish, a lobster tail with the trimmings and garnish. I pointed out that I had ordered the lobster mac & cheese, and he then disappeared and about 20 min. later brought me the mac & cheese part of what I ordered. In the meantime I had given DH my lobster tail to add to his main course (fillet mignon), as I was expecting to get a mac & cheese with lobster pieces in it. Of course then I noticed that there were no lobster pieces in the dish, and the server then had to bring me another lobster tail to add to my main course. The whole thing was totally confusing, and of course, just about stone cold by the time all the ingredients were on the same plate.

 

By that time DH had long gone finished his main course, and my dish didn't hold its appeal anymore. I agree that I find it wonderful, but just too rich by itself.

[m steve]

I was really impressed the first time I had Loster Thermidor but as I became more mature in my tastes, I felt that the cheese sauce overwhelmed the taste of lobster. I rarely have it other than broiled or steamed and occasionally Cantonese in a traditional Chinese restaurant. Mac and cheese is best out of a box when there's nothing else in the house for dinner.Maybe add some ham and onion. I know that lobster mac and cheese is very trendy these days.