Sauce Test

[ckreef]

Need to test cook a tomato/cream shrimp sauce for an upcoming cook of shrimp and grits.

A few shrimp on Prometheus.

Notice my grill basket is a perfect fit in Prometheus.

Yellow fin tuna steaks for a hot fast sear. 30 seconds rotate, 30 seconds flip (that is what you see), another 30 seconds on the bottom then pull.

My plate of food. The test shrimp sauce is in the upper right hand corner. Sauce came out excellent and dinner was yummy even though we served it with boxed potatoes and canned corn - LOL - what a way to ruin a great cook - 2x LOL

Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT

Edited December 8, 2015 by ckreef

[bosco]

looking good buddy!!!!!

[ckreef]

looking good buddy!!!!!

TY bosco - a quick week night meal that tasted awesome.

BTW Mrs skreef is on the edge of her seat with the way the Guru challenge voting is going - what a neck and neck finish it's turning out to be.

Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT

[MacKenzie]

CK, dinner sure looks good, great pix.

[GoFrogs91]

Looks great to me Charles.

Benton

[wilburpan]

Great looking dinner! I love seafood of any type.

 

Any reason you didn’t cook the shrimp right on the grates? It looks to me like they were large enough so that you wouldn’t have to worry about them falling through the bars of the grate.

[ckreef]

Great looking dinner! I love seafood of any type.

Any reason you didn’t cook the shrimp right on the grates? It looks to me like they were large enough so that you wouldn’t have to worry about them falling through the bars of the grate.

Sometimes I cook them right on the grate and they were definitely big enough but I do like using the basket. It sits down in Prometheus really good and makes flipping the shrimp around easier. Results would be the same either way.

Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT

[tinyfish]

Wow!! What a great plate of food.

[tony b]

Charles, we need to trade Shrimp & Grits recipes!! Here's mine.

 

Shrimp (for 6-8 servings)

 

2lbs medium (25 count) shrimp (peeled/de-veined)

1 Tb butter

1 cup minced bell pepper (a mix of red, green, yellow, orange)

1 tsp Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

 

Saute peppers in butter until soft, add the shrimp and chili sauce and cook until the shrimp are just pink. (Note: since I've gotten my ANOVA, I butter poach the shrimp sous vide w/o the peppers. Comes out perfect! I add the pepper mix to the gravy.)

 

Place shrimp on top of cheese grits and smother in the red-eye gravy. Garnish with chopped chives and/or parsley.

 

 

Red-eye Gravy w/mushrooms

 

1 Tbl butter

8 oz country style (salt cured) ham (I've also used Andouille sausage.)

½ cup Shitake mushrooms

¼ cup minced onion

½ cup Madeira

½ cup strong brewed coffee (french/italian roast or espresso)

1 Tbl cornstarch

6 oz V-8 juice (spicy) (Note: I've also used Bloody Mary mix, which works well, too! Just be cautious of the extra salt.)

1 Tbl minced thyme

 

Melt butter in large pan over high heat, saute ham until beginning to brown. Add the mushrooms and onion, continue to brown. Pour in the Madeira, followed by the coffee. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by ½ (about 15 minutes). Dissolve the cornstarch in the V-8 juice and whisk into the gravy. Return to boil and allow to thicken. Add thyme to finish the gravy.

 

 

Cheese Grits

 

1 stick butter

2 cups water

2 cups half & half

1 cup grits (it is essential that these are stone-ground white grits – my choice is Carolina Plantation Stone Ground Grits - http://www.carolinaplantationrice.com)

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (Vermont white cheddar is also good)

salt (be generous in salting the water for the grits, similar to pasta).

 

Melt butter in large pot. Add the half & half, water and salt. Bring to a boil. Slowly add the grits. Reduce heat to low and simmer until done (texture should be similar to polenta). Add the cheese and stir until melted. 

[bryan]

Here are some of mine.

 

GRITS

 

SOUTHERN

For the grits:

¾ tsp kosher salt + 1 c grits + 2½ c water

For the add-ins:

6 oz. andouille sausage, sliced + 1 lb. shrimp + 1 c heavy cream + 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning + ½ c sliced scallions + hot sauce, to taste

 

This is our rich, meaty spin on shrimp and grits.

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat:

Brown the sausage until the fat begins to render, about 3 minutes.

Add the shrimp, cream and Cajun seasoning, and reduce the cream by half.

Continue to cook 8-10 minutes:

Top the grits with the shrimp mixture, sliced scallions and a few good shakes of hot sauce.

 

ITALIAN

For the grits:

½ tsp kosher salt + 1 c grits + 2½ c water

For the add-ins:

1 c finely grated Parmesan + 4 tbsp sliced almonds, toasted + 2 tbsp capers + ? c roughly chopped green olives + 2 tbsp golden raisins + 2 oil-packed anchovies, roughly chopped + 3 tbsp olive oil

 

This polenta-like preparation captures Mediterranean brininess at its best.

Stir in the Parmesan halfway through cooking the grits.

Toss the almonds, capers, green olives, raisins and anchovies with the olive oil.

Add to the grits.

 

GREEN

For the grits:

1 tsp kosher salt + 1 c grits + 2½ c water

For the add-ins:

2 tbsp olive oil + ½ c diced green bell pepper + 1 packed c finely chopped collard greens + 1 tsp ground coriander + 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

 

No need to serve collards on the side when you can stir them right into these herbaceous grits.

In a medium skillet over medium heat:

Add the olive oil.

When the oil is hot:

Add the green bell pepper.

Cook until almost tender, 4-5 minutes:

Add the collard greens and coriander.

Cook until tender, 8-10 minutes:

Stir the green mixture and parsley into to the grits halfway through cooking.

 

CHEESY

For the grits:

1 tsp kosher salt + 1 c grits + 2½ c water

For the add-ins:

¼ c olive oil + ? c diced yellow onion + ? c chopped leeks + 1 c grated white cheddar + 1 c grated Gruyere + 2 tbsp finely chopped chives + black pepper, to taste

 

Two cheeses meet lots of oniony flavor in this creamy variation.

In a medium skillet over medium heat:

Add the olive oil.

When the oil is hot:

Add the onions and leeks.

Cook, stirring often, until very soft, 10-12 minutes:

Stir the onion-leek mixture and both cheeses into the cooked grits.

Top with chives.

Season with black pepper.

 

SWEET

For the grits:

1 tsp kosher salt + 1 c grits + 1 c water + 1½ c whole milk

For the add-ins:

2 tbsp butter + 1 Granny Smith apple—peeled, cored and chopped + 2 tsp ground cinnamon + 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger + 3 tbsp maple syrup + 1 tsp finely grated orange zest

 

Who needs rice pudding when you can eat sweet grits?

In a medium skillet over medium heat:

Add the butter.

When the butter begins to foam:

Add the apples and cinnamon.

Cook, stirring often until tender, 4-6 minutes:

Add half the apples and the ginger to the grits.

To serve:

Top grits with the remaining apples, a drizzle of maple syrup and the orange zest.

 

SHRIMP

 

Shrimp (sv132=15-35m) Cocktail *

Pre-Bath Ingredients

For the Sous Vide Shrimp Cocktail:

1 pound raw shrimp cleaned and deveined

1 tablespoon rendered fat

(or butter)

Salt and pepper

 

Finishing Ingredients

For the Cocktail Sauce:

2 small tomatoes

3 cloves garlic

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce to taste

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup cilantro

Salt and pepper

 

A few leaves of cilantro, for garnish.

 

Salt and pepper shrimp.

Add to a sous vide pouch with the fat.

Seal the pouch.

 

Cooking the Sous Vide Shrimp Cocktail:

Preheat water bath.

Place the pouch in the water bath for 15-35 minutes.

Remove shrimp cocktail from the pouch and pat dry.

Place in the refrigerator until chilled.

 

Finishing the Sous Vide Shrimp Cocktail:

In a blender or food processor.

Combine all of the ingredients for the cocktail sauce.

Process until it is mixed well and the consistency you prefer. (Taste and adjust the flavors to your preferences)

If you want it thicker,

Add more tomato paste.

Remove shrimp cocktail from the refrigerator.

Plate in a bowl w/cocktail sauce.

Garnish with the cilantro.

 

Shrimp Amaretto

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/3 cup amaretto

(almond-flavored liqueur)

1/3 cup sliced almonds

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound large shrimp peeled deveined tails left on

 

In a large skillet:

Melt butter over medium heat.

Add amaretto, almonds, sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper and stir until sugar dissolves.

Add shrimp and cook 3-5 minutes, just until pink.

Serve immediately.

 

Notes:

We like to serve this over wild rice so that we can savor every last bit of the amaretto sauce. Mmm mmm!

 

http://svkitchen.com/?p=4268

 

Potted Shrimp Spread:

MakesYield 1 pound raw large (about 20–23) shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed

2 cloves garlic confit, smashed, or 1 clove fresh garlic, minced

1 large piece preserved lemon, rinsed and pith removed, minced, or 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon pimentón

1teaspoon piment d’Espelette

2 tablespooons cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon Meyer lemon juice, or regular lemon juice

1 tablespoon garlic oil from garlic confit, optional

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces

Reserved cooking juices from the shrimp

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Preheat the water bath to 140°F (60°C).

Pat the shrimp dry and place in a medium bowl. Add the garlic, lemon, parsley, pimentón, piment d’Espelette, 2 tablespoons of cold butter, lemon juice, and garlic oil, if using. Mix together thoroughly and transfer to a large zip-lock bag. Seal using the water displacement method, or simply press out as much air from the bag as possible before sealing.

Cook for 20 minutes.

Transfer the cooked shrimp to the bowl of a food processor, reserving all of the liquid. Allow the shrimp to cool for about 15 minutes. Add the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter to the shrimp. Begin to pulse and roughly chop the mixture, making sure that you are not puréeing the ingredients, until everything is simply well combined and incorporated. Taste the spread. Add the reserved shrimp liquid 1 or 2 teaspoons at a time, tasting after each addition. I used the all of the liquid. Taste and adjust the seasoning with a further sprinkling of sea salt, if necessary, and a good grind or two of fresh pepper.

Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl or several small ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour. The spread will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for several months. Bring to room temperature before serving with crackers or grilled bread.

[tony b]

 DAAHAAAMM!! 

[ckreef]

Dang it tony b and bryan ..........

Shrimp and grits is all Mrs skreef, the only part I play is grilling the shrimp. I know she has a couple of variations but none like what you two posted.

Saturday her daughter and son-in-law is coming to dinner. The menu as planned will be shrimp and grits, cheese crusted Mahi-mahi, green beans and cornbread (subject to tweaking at the last moment). I told her I wouldn't go picture happy but would have to take a few.

Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT

[bryan]

Saturday her daughter and son-in-law is coming to dinner. The menu as planned will be shrimp and grits, cheese crusted Mahi-mahi, green beans and cornbread (subject to tweaking at the last moment). I told her I wouldn't go picture happy but would have to take a few.

Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT

Have any extra chairs?  Sounds south ern to me.

[ckreef]

Have any extra chairs? Sounds south ern to me.

Always extra chairs. Come on down we'll make it a party.

Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT