Crook's Corner Shrimp and Grits

A few years ago I had the pleasure of having brunch at Humble Pie in Raleigh, North Carolina. An old warehouse converted in to a hip urban eatery, the food was fantastic and the Bloody Marys too. My order of shrimp and grits was so memorable that here I am years later writing about it here. In fact, the shrimp and grits are so good at Humble Pie, they are listed on the menu as "broth of the Gods." I did some research and found the recipe from Crook's Corner, another popular North Carolina restaurant in Chapel Hill. I grew up eating grits with my father who was raised for part of his childhood in the south. We used to smother ours with butter and fresh pepper. Then I discovered that cheese is the secret ingredient that elevates plain grits to something godly.

We had this for dinner last night and there wasn't a trace of it left by the time we licked our bowls clean. I wish the photo did this dish more justice. Trust me, it was incredible; all of the flavors completely enhanced each other from the sharp cheddar and Parmesan in the grits to the mushrooms, bacon, scallions and shrimp that sat in a broth that was indeed worthy of God coming over here for dinner. I think part of the success in this dish is the addition of some hot sauce. I don't like things too hot but a few splashes in both the shrimp mixture and the grits made this really spectacular. You can go over here to see the rave reviews on this dish.

RECIPE


Ingredients

* 2 cups water
* 1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth
* 3/4 cup half-and-half
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup regular grits
* 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste)
* 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
* 3 bacon slices
* 1 pound medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup sliced mushrooms
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/2 cup low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste)
* Lemon wedges

Preparation

Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened. Add Cheddar cheese and next 4 ingredients. Keep warm.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon, and set aside.

Sprinkle shrimp with pepper and salt; dredge in flour.

Sauté mushrooms in hot drippings in skillet 5 minutes or until tender. Add green onions, and sauté 2 minutes. Add shrimp and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly brown. Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet.

Serve shrimp mixture over hot cheese grits. Top with crumbled bacon; serve with lemon wedges.

Harold's strawberries and cream with buttery basil cookies

This was one of the first recipes I came across when I was initially researching cheese books for this blog. It comes from Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials; a book, in my opinion, that is a must have for every person interested in learning about cheese. It's small enough that you could stow it away in your handbag yet filled with such great quantities of information that you'll look like a cheese rock star when you step in to a cheese shop and begin to discuss the varieties of surface ripened cheeses.

The recipe was created by Harold Dieterle, a former Iron Chef winner. Immediately I was hooked by the idea of baking a cookie with basil as an ingredient. I've also been interested in finding a dessert recipe that stars cheese in a main role. The sweetness of the vanilla infused strawberries, the creamy earthiness of the brie and the indescribable pleasure of a soft, buttery basil cookie all work together to make this worthy of an Oscar. And the cookie, oh the blessed cookie! Light, buttery, slightly sweet with a nice hint of basil. It's one of the best things I've tasted in such a long time and such a simple thing to make too. What an excellent way to use up the abundance of summer strawberries and fresh basil. Serve this up for dessert at your next dinner party and your guests will be oohing and ahhing for sure.

Side note: the recipe calls for a nice big wedge of La Tur cheese, which is a surfaced ripened creamy cheese. So creamy in fact that it could be eaten with a spoon. It is said to be the crown jewel of all surface ripened cheeses. Unfortunately, my local cheese shop doesn't carry it so I ended up with a nice wedge of double cream brie. Next time I'm going for the La Tur even if it means putting on my cheese radar and driving 30 miles to find it.

RECIPE

For the cookies:
2 egg whites
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons of fresh basil, julienned and one sprig for garnish
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, lightly toasted

For the strawberries:
3/4 cup of water
1/3 cup of sugar
2 cups strawberries, stems removed and quartered
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cheese:
8oz of La Tur cheese (or similar soft brie style cheese)

To make the cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until frothy, about 2 minutes (a hand mixer will do the job too). Slowly add the sugar until soft peaks form, about 5 to 10 minutes. Slowly drizzle the melted butter in to the egg white mixture and mix for 1 minute. Add the flour and basil and mixed until incorporated.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mound tablespoons of the batter 2 inches apart on the sheet. Place about 2-3 almonds on each cookie. Bake until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Cookies are best when eaten that day but you can also store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Makes 16 cookies.

To prepare the strawberries:
In a medium size saucepan, combine water and sugar over high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Let cook 1 more minute. Turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes. This is your "simple syrup."

Measure out 1/3 cup of the simple syrup. Reserve the rest for another use. Put the strawberries, simple syrup and vanilla in a saucepan you used to make the simple syrup. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and let come to room temperature. The strawberries will continue to release liquid as they cool.

To assemble:
Place 2 cookies on either side of 8 dessert plates. Place a slice of cheese in the middle of the plate. Using a slotted spoon, put a few strawberries next to the cheese. Garnish with a sprig or two of fresh basil on each plate. Serve right away.