Author Notes
Today, I have spent way too much time obsessing over shrimp recipes to make this weekend. I feel a bit like Forrest Gump, when he reels off all of the different ways shrimp can be cooked. It makes it hard to choose. When I saw this week's theme, it all came together. This particular recipe is based on one from Julia Child. Here, you SAUTE, FLAMBE, and then add some yummy accoutrements: shallots, diced tomatoes, and fresh herbs. The shrimp and its inebriated sauce are delicious served over rice or with French bread. As you bring the plates to the table, try to do a JETE (a leap with one leg in front; the other leg in back)....just because it rhymes. - Waverly —Waverly
Test Kitchen Notes
Easy and delicious, Waverly’s Shrimp Sautee With a Flambe A Jete is quick enough for a celebratory weeknight meal and elegant enough to impress your weekend guests. Bathed in a fragrant boozy-butter sauce, sweet shrimp are framed between bright parsley and fresh, herbal dill. Lemon and tomato lend fruity acid, while cognac imparts a subtle white peppery finish. Thanks for a wonderful dish, Waverly! - gingerroot —gingerroot
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Ingredients
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1 pound
large shrimp, peeled, deveined, rinsed and patted dry
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4 tablespoons
butter
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salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
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1/4 -1/3 cups
Cognac
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1/3 cup
dry vermouth
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2 tablespoons
shallots, finely chopped
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1/4-1/2 cups
fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
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1-2 sprigs
fresh dill, finely chopped
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1 cup
diced tomatoes, drained
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1/2
a large lemon
Directions
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PREP: The key to a successful flambe is mise en place: have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go and placed beside the stove. Small prep bowls come in handy.
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SAUTE: Heat a large skillet over HIGH heat. Add shrimp. Toss them around in the pan until all of the moisture from them evaporates, about 30 seconds. Add the butter. As it melts, stir the shrimp around so that they are coated. Cook until shrimp turn pink - no longer. This will take only a few minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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FLAMBE: Pour Cognac into a measuring cup, prep bowl or long-handled ladle and then onto the shrimp. Tilt the skillet toward a lit kitchen match or hand-held torch. For safety's sake, tilt the skillet AWAY from your body. Once enflamed, carefully set the skillet down. Allow the alcohol to burn off. This takes about 15-30 seconds. Add vermouth.
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ADD ACCOUTREMENTS: When all the flames have died, add shallots, parsley, dill, and tomatoes. Stir to combine. The mixture should be bubbling. Continue cooking until everything is heated through, 2-3 minutes longer. Squeeze the lemon over the mixture and stir the juice into the sauce. Taste for seasonings. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Remove skillet from heat.
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SERVE: Serve over plain white rice or with a sliced baguette. On the side, serve a crisp salad of mixed greens. Delicious with Sauvignon Blanc.
Waverly used to be a lawyer and is now a mother 24/7. She has made a commitment to cooking for her family and absolutely loves it even when her family does not. She is teaching them, one meal at a time, to enjoy wholesome homemade food. She abhors processed food but recognizes its insidious nature and accepts the fact that her children will occasionally get some Skittles, Doritos, or the like. Her philosophy and hope is that if she teaches them well at home, they will prefer wholesome healthy foods when they go out into the world without her.
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