Spicy Shrimp with Tasso Cream and Green Chile Grit Cakes

• Butter or olive oil, for frying
• 1 large or 2 small poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, and seeded
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup stone-ground grits
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup grated white cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• 1/4 cup diced tasso (see Sources, p. 384)
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup Shrimp Stock (p. 229)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
• Lemon juice
• Hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound shrimp (16-20 count), peeled and deveined
• Salt
• Tasso Cream
• Green Chile Grit Cakes
• Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

1. Lightly butter or oil an 8-inch square pan.
2. Dice the roasted pepper and set aside.
3. Heat the water, milk, and salt in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.
4. Bring to a boil, then whisk in the grits and cook for 1 minute.
5. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, 3040 minutes, until the grits have lost their raw taste and begin to hold together and pull away from the sides of the pan.
6. Add a little water if the grits get too thick.
7. Stir in the butter, roasted pepper, and cheese.
8. Pour onto the prepared pan to a thickness of about 1/2 inch.
9. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the grits and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, about 1 hour.
10. Cut the cold grits into triangles or rounds, and brown them in butter in a nonstick skillet over high heat for about 2 minutes on each side.
11. You can heat the grits all the way through for 8-10 minutes in the skillet, or simply brown them, then transfer to a baking sheet.
12. Heat in a hot oven for about 10 minutes when ready to serve.
13. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
14. Add the onion, celery, tasso, thyme, cayenne, paprika, and garlic and cook until vegetables are soft, 35 minutes.
15. Add the remaining tablespoon butter, then sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to combine.
16. Whisk in the Shrimp Stock, bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and reduce the liquid by half.
17. Add the cream and simmer until the sauce is thickened to a creamy consistency, about 4 minutes.
18. Finish sauce with the salt, pepper, and the lemon juice and hot sauce, to taste.
19. Keep it warm while you cook the shrimp.
20. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
21. When the oil is shimmering, add the shrimp, season with salt, and cook, stirring, for 23 minutes until almost cooked through.
22. Pour in the tasso cream and stir to coat shrimp.
23. Lower the heat to medium and cook about 2 more minutes.
24. Taste and adjust seasoning.
25. To serve, place one portion of grits on each plate and spoon the shrimp and cream over the top.
26. Garnish with sliced scallions.
27. Technically, grits can be just about any coarsely ground grain, but usually they are made from corn.
28. Theres a pronounced difference in flavor between quick-cooking commercial grits and a stone-ground product.
29. Stone-grinding corn preserves its sweet flavor and results in a coarse, satisfying texture (that takes a bit longer to cook).
30. Stone-ground grits are available at most specialty food stores, or you can find them at www.hoppinjohns.com (see Sources, p. 384).
31. Chef Donald says that whenever you make sauce with a roux in the base, like this one, always add your liquids in stages so that you dont make your sauce too thin.
32. Sauce is always easier to thin out, by adding a bit more liquid, than to thicken.

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Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/spicy-shrimp-with-tasso-cream-and-green-chile-grit-cakes-383420 (may not work)