Shrimp and Cheesy Grits - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...One of the benefits of having family spread across the country is the opportunity to sample regional foods and meet with like-minded folks who also enjoy the kitchen. Today's recipe is the kidnapped offspring of one that was developed by chef Jon Bonnell for a side dish that was to be served in his Texas restaurant. Under normal circumstances, I would have nothing to do with a dish like this. Years ago, while traveling in the South, I developed an active dislike of grits which appeared, unrequested and unseasoned, on my breakfast plate - over and over again. I equated them with paste. Truth be told, I thought paste had more flavor. At any rate, this past year I was given a copy of Bonnell's book, on the condition I make a version of his shrimp and grits. I should be ashamed I know, but I wanted the book, so my version of shrimp and grits was born. For the uninitiated, grits are coarsely ground dried corn that's served boiled, or boiled and then fried. While they're related to corn meal, they are more coarsely ground. They can be found on the cereal aisles in all large food markets. I've used quick cooking grits in my recipe and my directions are based on those that come on the box of grits I buy. If you make this dish, check the instructions on your box to make sure there are not vastly different from the ones I give here. You may also want to increase the heat by adding more hot pepper sauce. Be careful if you do that. The dish can quickly turn to fire if too much is used. This is a wonderfully easy recipe. It is, unfortunately, high in calories because of the amount of cream used to assemble the dish. While you can cut back to half-and-half, the dish really is not the same. Despite my initial reservations, I've really come to love this dish and serve it as an entree for family and close friends. I think you might like it too. Here's the recipe.

Shrimp with Cheesy Grits...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Jon Bonnell

Ingredients:
Grits
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (i.e. Tabasco)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
1/2 cup quick grits
1/2 cup grated Monterey or Pepper Jack cheese
Shrimp
12 ounces Andouille sausage, cut in 1/2-inch dice
1 teaspoon butter
1 pound large (16 - 20) count shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (i.e.Tabasco)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1) To make the grits: Melt butter in a medium nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Add hot sauce, heavy cream and chicken stock and bring just to a simmer. Whisk in Creole seasoning and grits. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Fold in cheese and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
2) To make shrimp: Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add sausage and saute in butter until lightly browned. Add shrimp and cook for two minutes. Pour in cream and add hot sauce. Reduce heat and cook until cream thickens slightly and shrimp is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3) To serve: Spread grits on a small platter. Pour shrimp and sauce over grits. Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Blue Corn Muffins - One Perfect Bite
Spoon Bread with Leeks and Gruyere Cheese - One Perfect Bite
Oven Baked Polenta - One Perfect Bite
Garlic Shrimp and Cheddar Grits - A Dose of Frosting
Shrimp and Andouille Sausage - Framed: My Life One Picture at a Time
Grits and Grillades - Deep South Dish

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.