Every year Wisconsin Cheese hosts a Grilled Cheese recipe contest through their site, GrilledCheeseAcademy.com. Naturally, I take it upon myself to whip up a cheesy concoction and my ever-talented food stylist and photographer, Acirema Hernandez of Food That Looks Good, well, makes it look as good as it tastes.
This year we submitted this scrumptious melting pot of decadence: Truffle Lobster Mac ‘n’ Cheese Grilled Cheese. Creamy Havarti, fresh arugula, crisp Pancetta and avocado are topped with lobster mac ‘n’ cheese, Provolone and a crunchy layer of potato chips—all sandwiched between two buttery slices of Brioche. Don’t Think. Just make it. You can thank me later.
Food styling and photography by Food That Looks Good.
Ingredients
- 1 cup elbow macaroni
- 4 Tablespoons butter divided
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 2 oz. Wisconsin cream cheese
- 1 cup Wisconsin Gouda grated or cubed
- 1 cup Wisconsin cheddar cheese grated or cubed
- dash Salt and pepper to taste
- dash Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons truffle oil plus fresh black truffles (optional), shaved
- 1 cup cooked lobster coarsely chopped
- 4 slices Brioche bread
- 4 slices Wisconsin Havarti cheese
- 4 slices Pancetta thinly sliced
- 2 slices Wisconsin Provolone cheese
- 1 cup potato chips salted
- 2 Tablespoons chives snipped
Servings: sandwiches
Instructions
- Cook macaroni al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and rinse. Return drained saucepan to low heat, melt 1 Tablespoon butter, add half and half, cream cheese, Gouda and Cheddar, whisking constantly until cheeses are fully melted. Add drained macaroni, salt and pepper to taste, a dash of Worcestershire sauce and truffle oil. Stir to coat macaroni in cheese sauce. Stir in the lobster and shaved black truffles (if using).
- Meanwhile, cook pancetta in heavy large skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
- To assemble sandwiches butter both sides of 4 brioche slices. In a cast iron or nonstick skillet, melt 1 Tablespoon butter on medium-low heat. Place 2 slices of bread on skillet and top each slice with 2 slices of Havarti cheese. Top with arugula, Pancetta and avocado slices, divided evenly between the two sandwiches. Cover until cheese is melted and underside of bread is browned, about 2-3 minutes.
- In a separate skillet, brown the remaining two slices of bread on both sides over medium-low heat, about 2-3 minutes each side (use a spatula to check for doneness and prevent burning). Remove from heat and set aside.
- Returning to the skillet with assembled sandwiches, remove lid and top sandwiches with prepared truffled lobster mac ’n’ cheese. Add a slice of Provolone on each sandwich and re-cover to melt cheese, about 1-2 minutes. Remove sandwiches from skillet and plate. Top each sandwich with 1 Tablespoon of snipped chives and a layer of potato chips. Top with browned brioche slices. Serve immediately.
