Sambuca Shrimp

Hey All,

As the holiday season is approaching, have had many many many many many requests for ideas on apps to make for guests. Something different is what is always asked, something they are not used to. These days it is getting harder and harder to find things people have never heard of, but cooking something properly is an item that may elude your guests, so I always recommend keeping it simple but doing it well. Case in point the recipe listed below is a simple Sambuca Shrimp, the difference is making the sauce using the best ingredients, finding the best quality of shrimp possible, and giving it just the right amount of kick to help warm your guests from the cold.

Hope you all enjoy!


4 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion diced
3 cloves of garlic cloves, minced
1tsp dried basil
pepper flakes to taste
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans San Marizano Tomatoes (only use the real kind stamped from San Marizano region) if trouble finding, email me and I will tell you where to look for them
10 leaves of Basil thinly sliced

1lb peeled deveined raw shrimp (not from grocery store, in Ottawa go to Whalesbone Oyster Sustainable Fish market...get best quality you can find and the freshest)

4 ounces of Sambucca

3 tbs fresh parsley, minced

Preparation:

In large deep skillet, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion, 2 cloves of garlic, dried basil, salt, pepper and hot pepper flakes, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes, breaking up with back of spoon; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until sauce is thickened enough to mound on spoon finish with fresh basil
To a pan add 1tbs butter and a bit of olive oil to stop it from burning over medium heat. Once butter begins to bubble, add last clove of minced garlic and add shrimp to pan, after one minute add sambuca to pan and flambe, wait one minute for the alcohol to burn off and then add your tomato sauce (about 2 to 3 ladels) to the pan. Cook just until shrimp begin to turn pink, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat; cover and let stand until shrimp are pink. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with good crusty bread

An Updated Banana's Fosters from Fine Cooking

Recently got the new issue of Fine Cooking Magazine, which I highly recommend subscribing to.
They have an updated version and classic version section for particular recipes. This month they did one of my favs, Banana's Fosters!!!!!! Here is the updated version below, FYI, I already tried it and words cannot describe how good it is. Enjoy!

For the chocolate crust

• 7-7/8 oz. (1-3/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 oz. (1/3 cup) unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 6 oz. (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1-3/4 oz. (6 Tbs.) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 large egg

For the pastry cream

• 2 cups whole milk
• 6 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1-3/4 oz. (5 Tbs.) cornstarch
• 2 tsp. dark rum
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out
• 1/2 oz. (1 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened

For the chocolate sauce

• 1/2 lb. extra-bitter chocolate (67% to 72% cacao), preferably Valrhona, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 2 Tbs. light corn syrup
• 1 oz. (2 Tbs.) unsalted butter

For the whipped cream

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For assembly

• 4 to 6 large ripe bananas (7 to 8 oz. each)
• 10 tsp. turbinado sugar
• Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• Mint leaves (optional)
• Rum-raisin ice cream, preferably Häagen-Dazs

Make the chocolate dough

 

Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a medium bowl.

 

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the egg and beat well. In two batches, add the flour mixture and mix on medium-low speed until incorporated.

 

Scrape the dough onto plastic wrap, shape into a flat square, and wrap well. Refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours or overnight.

 

Make the pastry cream

 

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium-high heat until small bubbles form around the edges, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. In a medium bowl, whisk the yolks, sugar, cornstarch, rum, and vanilla seeds. Slowly whisk in the milk. Pour the mixture back into the pan and stir well. On medium heat, whisk until it boils and becomes thick and shiny, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Pass the cream through a fine sieve into a shallow bowl. Transfer to a disposable pastry bag. Squeeze it down to the tip and refrigerate until ready to use. (The pastry cream can be made up to 1 day ahead.)

 

Make the chocolate sauce

 

Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream, milk, corn syrup, and butter over medium heat. When steaming hot, pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.

 

Bake the crusts

 

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

 

Between two large sheets of parchment, roll the dough out into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle that’s about 13-1/2x10 inches. Slide it onto a rimmed baking sheet and freeze. Once the dough is firm, after about 30 minutes, trim to 12-1/2x9 inches and then cut it into ten 2-1/2x4-1/2-inch rectangles. Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until set and dry, 10 to 15 minutes, rotating the pan after 5 minutes. Cool completely on the baking sheet on a rack.

 

Whip the cream

 

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream on medium speed until it starts to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla and switch to a hand whisk, whipping until the cream forms stiff peaks.

 

Assemble the tarts

 

In a small saucepan, gently warm the chocolate sauce over low heat.

 

Cut a 1/2-inch hole at the tip of the bag of pastry cream. Pipe the cream in a zigzag pattern across each tart crust to cover completely.

 

Peel and cut the bananas into 2-1/2-inch lengths, then slice them lengthwise 1/8 inch thick. Shingle the bananas across the pastry cream. Sprinkle each tart with 1 tsp. turbinado sugar. Pass the flame of a small kitchen torch over the bananas until the sugar bubbles and caramelizes. Let cool briefly.

 

Transfer the whipped cream to another pastry bag, fitted with a star tip, and pipe a string of 1/2-inch rosettes down one long side of each tart over the bananas. Dust with cocoa powder. Garnish with mint leaves (if using).

 

Serve the tarts with a scoop of ice cream on the side. Pour the warm chocolate sauce over the tart at the table.

 

nutrition information (per serving):

 

Calories (kcal): 750; Fat (g): 45; Fat Calories (kcal): 400; Saturated Fat (g): 27; Protein (g): 10; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 8; Carbohydrates (g): 78; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 1.5; Sodium (mg): 75; Cholesterol (mg): 260; Fiber (g): 4; photo: Scott Phillips

 

From Fine Cooking 106, pp. 87