In the Land of Cocktails

Shrimp Cognac with Andouille Cracked-corn Grits

Shrimp and grits are low-country fare, but we’ve given them a whole new atti­tude.  The healthy amount of Cre­ole sea­son­ing, mush­rooms, demi-glace, and cognac help the trans­for­ma­tion.  And like every­thing in life, there are grits and then there are grits.  Make the effort to get stone-ground grits (like those from Anson Mills) and you will under­stand why some peo­ple com­pare grits to polenta.  Not watery, but creamy and rich and oh so flavorful.

Serves 4 as a main course

24 large (16/20) shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 tea­spoons Cre­ole sea­son­ing
4 tea­spoons veg­etable oil
4 table­spoons unsalted but­ter, cut into pieces
1 table­spoon gar­lic, minced
1 leek (white part only), halved length­wise, sliced thin, and rinsed well
½ pound assorted mush­rooms such as crem­inis, shi­takes, chanterelles, and por­to­bel­los, cleaned and chopped
½ cup Cognac or brandy
1 cup toma­toes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
½ cup seafood stock or water
¼ cup demi-glace (avail­able at gourmet mar­kets)
½ tea­spoon kosher salt
¼ tea­spoon freshly ground black pep­per
1 table­spoon fresh thyme, chopped
Andouille Cracked-Corn Grits (see recipe)
Sliced green onions (green part only)

In a large bowl toss shrimp with 3 tea­spoons Cre­ole seasoning.

In a large skil­let heat 2 tea­spoons oil over medium high heat. Add half of the shrimp and sear about 40 sec­onds until half-cooked. Repeat with the remain­ing 2 tea­spoons of oil and shrimp and trans­fer to a large plate.

Return skil­let to high heat and add 2 table­spoons but­ter and gar­lic and sauté, stir­ring and scrap­ing the bot­tom of the skil­let, until gar­lic is fra­grant, for 30 sec­onds.  Add the leek, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stir­ring, about 1 ½ min­utes until the leeks are soft and golden brown. Add the mush­rooms and cook for about 2 min­utes until soft and they give off their liquid.

Remove the skil­let from heat.  Add Cognac, being care­ful of flare-ups, and cook about 1½ min­utes. Add the toma­toes, stock, demi-glace, salt, and pep­per and bring to a sim­mer over medium heat.  Cook about 2 min­utes until slightly reduced. Add the shrimp and thyme to skil­let and cook about 1 minute, stir­ring until shrimp are warmed through. Remove skil­let the from the heat and stir the remain­ing 2 table­spoons of but­ter into the sauce, sev­eral pieces at a time, and remain­ing tea­spoon Cre­ole sea­son­ing.  Taste for sea­son­ing.  Serve over Andouille Cracked-Corn Grits and gar­nish with green onions.

Clean­ing Leeks
Leeks are grown in dirt and are full of the stuff by the time they get to your kitchen.  The best way to clean them is to slice them first, then soak them in a big bowl of water.  The dirt and sand sinks, and the leeks float and can be eas­ily skimmed away.