RECIPE: REC: Tabletop Shrimp Saute with Mustard and Cream...

RECIPE:
J

joe

Well-known member
Another Julia Child recipe: This has become a staple for me since I discovered Trader Joe's frozen uncooked cleaned shrimp in 1-lb. bags. It's quick and easy, and you can set everything up ahead of time. Julia did it in a chafing dish at the table but I do it on the stove (since the guests are always crowding me in the kitchen anyway and the flambeing scares them out of my way. If anyone has a less dangerous, more subtle way to clear people out of your work space I'd love to hear it.)

1 lb. medium to large shrimp, peeled

Salt and pepper

3 Tbs. butter

1/4 cup cognac or brandy, in a pitcher (supposedly the bottle can explode if you pour it directly into the hot pan)

1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth

2/3 cup heavy cream blended with 1-1/2 Tbs. Dijon mustard and 1/2 tsp. corn starch

2 Tbs. minced shallots

2 Tbs. minced parsley

A pinch of tarragon or dill (fresh is nice.)

Keep the shrimp in a bowl set over another bowl of ice in the refrigerator until the last minute. Have all the other ingredients ready because this goes really fast.

Heat a 12-inch skillet over the highest heat. Add the shrimp and toss quickly to evaporate excess moisture. Season with salt and pepper, add the butter and toss until the shrimp are well coated and have turned pink. Add the cognac and tilt the pan into the flame or use a match to light it. Let flame for 10-15 seconds, then douse the flame with the wine and bring back to the boil. Add the cream/mustard mixture, the shallots and the herbs, and bring to the boil just until sauce thickens. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

Serves 6 as a first course, with good bread, or 4 as a main course, with rice or pasta.

 
What should you do if you DON'T want it to flambe?

My microwave is above my cooktop & I don't want to melt anything. How would you change this recipe?

 
Maybe take the pan off heat to light it so it flambes elsewhere?.....

You could be flipping the flaming shrimp dramatically in mid-air right in the middle of the kitchen! If that doesn't get the guests out of your way I don't know what will.

Seriously, you could boil the brandy and wine together in a separate pan ahead of time to evaporate the alcohol and reduce them a bit, then add them to the dish without risk of flambeing. Not as much drama, but I'm sure it would be delicious.

Or if you have one of those cool barbecues with a built-in burner, it could be a great outdoor summertime treat.

Or do Julia's tableside version with a chafing dish. You need a very intense flame, though--at least a large can of sterno. A small sterno or fondue pot won't be hot enough.

Flambeing is mostly for show, but I think it does add a subtle shade of flavor that you don't get just from reduction.

 
I think she could let it simmer a while on the heat to get rid of some of the alcohol

(as well as heating it, which it needs), and then light it. It may not even flame very high. I think the flambeeing does add the essence of the liquer--you definitely want to get rid of the raw alcohol in any dish.

 
If it simmers for very long, it won't light. After watching TV chefs tip the pan and light the

alcohol with the flame, I got quite excited and started doing that. DH put the kibosh on it after he saw the flame reach up to the vent above the cooktop. I always turned the vent off first and immediately after lighting the alcohol, I pulled it away from the stove while turning off the gas. I wasn't quick enough that time and really could have started a fire. I make sauteed mushrooms and flame them with cognac. That makes one wicked flame, but if I pour it in and leave it a few seconds before lighting (with a long handled match) as Durward suggests, the flame is much tamer. Sigh...not nearly as much fun but lots safer.

 
Lol Joe, my favorite Auntie, who was a wonderful cook and should have known better,

would walk into my Mom's kitchen and plant her back firmly against the kitchen sink and then stand there talking to my Mom while Mom was doing her last minute prep on dinner. I think it's a universal problem and one reason kitchens should have a counter with stools so people can line up and watch the cook without being a nuisance. I've been known to just say "shoo", lol!

 
Hehe, I wish "shoo" worked with my crowd. Not even profanity gets them to budge.

"Wonderful cooks" are the worst offenders, aren't they?

But years ago I went to a party and the host had actually strung a rope across the kitchen entrance with a sign that said "If you want us to eat on time, please do not disturb the chef." He didn't even want to be called "Hello" to. It was so rude, and I swore I'd never be that uptight.

 
I've always worked in a small kitchen, and when we had our annual "big" party - everyone

always ended up in the kitchen with me at one point or another. I'd literally have 6 or 8 people in the kitchen, a space that would comfortably hold 2-3, and I could not move or get anything done.

I got so frustrated one year, my DH suggested I give "Kitchen Passes" to the folks I felt comfortable having in close quarters and were truly helpful. So, I put a sign outside the door that said "Kitchen Pass Required to Enter" -and made a big joke about it. DH printed a few name tag-style Passes, and everyone thought it was very funny. (And I could be productive again!)

That was about 10 years ago, we've moved to another place with a slightly bigger kitchen, and I still have friends who will come in the kitchen to chat, look at me and say "I don't have a KP" and go back to the other side of the bar to continue the conversation. smileys/smile.gif

 
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