We Tried Oprah's Favorite Things Lobster Truffle Mac And Cheese
It's that time of year again! Oprah Winfrey has released her annual list of "Favorite Things" in O, The Oprah Magazine, and a whopping 107 items are included, making it her largest list to date. The talk show queen is apparently a little obsessed with truffle, but aren't we all? A truffle snack tin, pasta night kit and hot sauce are featured in this 2018 gift guide, as is a made-from-scratch truffle mac and cheese that, naturally, we had to try.
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The cheesy, truffle-happy mac that swept Oprah off her feet hails from Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co. in Maine. It features shell pasta with hefty chunks of lobster in a creamy white truffle oil mascarpone-cheddar sauce that may in fact be heaven on Earth. Most importantly, it's topped with the crispiest little bread crumbs that also contain some truffle flavor, creating a perfect crunchy element. All mac and cheese dishes should have bread crumbs on top of them. It's the gold standard.
The folks from Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co. packed an order on dry ice and sent it to The Daily Meal offices, where we eagerly consumed it. The first bite was hugely flavorful with lobster followed by truffle and cheese in the aftertaste. There was a really good crunch from the bread crumbs, too. Great cheese to pasta ratio — which is important because, whether we want to admit it or not, there is such thing as too much cheese or too rich a concentration of it. You can't risk being full after just a few bites, right? Based on taste, texture and heaviness, we — who are also self-proclaimed truffle addicts — stand by Oprah and her love for this decadent and delicious comfort food.
It's super easy to make too. It arrives at your doorstep frozen solid (don't burn yourself on the dry ice!), and takes no time at all to thaw. The package says you should thaw it in the refrigerator "immediately before use," but we weren't exactly sure how long that would take so we just left it on the counter because we were hungry and couldn't wait any longer. After the fact, we found that it takes about 24 hours to thaw in the fridge, but we walk on the wild side and laugh in the face of danger. Nobody got food poisoning in the making of this mac and cheese, but you should probably follow those directions if you plan on making it.
Anyway, all you have to do is preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, place the ramekins on a baking sheet and wait 20 to 25 minutes for golden bubbling perfection. Just don't microwave it because it'll compromise the tenderness of the lobster. The true test is waiting for it to cool off so you don't burn every taste bud off your tongue. May the odds be ever in your favor.
Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co.'s lobster truffle mac and cheese is available on the brand's website and Amazon for $62.45 per four eight-ounce servings. There is currently one review on its Amazon page that reads, "ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. Oprah is so right to have this on her list!!!!! It's loaded with lobster." We second that with just as much enthusiasm. If you are obsessed with delicious pasta but don't feel like making Velveeta tonight, dig into America's best macaroni and cheese dishes instead.
Food samples for review were provided by their producers at no cost to the writer.