Lime Shrimp

There are as many lime shrimp recipes as there are lime shrimp cooks. You can doll it up, spice it up, or keep it simple. It is all up to you. Here’s a pretty easy (and pretty basic) version.

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1/8 cup tequila
1 Tbs Triple Sec
1/4 cup parsley or cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup minced onion or shallot
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 lbs fresh shrimp, clean, peeled, deveined

Dump everything in a bowl or a plastic bag, shake or mix well and shove it in the refrigerator for about an hour. If you let it go too much more than that it may get cooked by the marinade and you don’t want that. By the way – any of the orange Triple Sec liquors will do, Cointreau, Triple Sec, or what have you.

Lube a good skillet with olive oil and/or butter (I like both). When it is good and hot and ready put the shrimp in and reserve the marinade. Cook the shrimp over medium high heat for 1 minute, flip it over and give the other side 1 minute, then dump in the marinade and give the shrimp about 1 more minute. Pull the shrimp out and set aside, keeping it warm. Crank up the heat so the liquid comes to a rapid boil and reduce by about half. Put the shrimp back in the pan for long enough to get warm.

Serve over a bed of white rice.

If you don’t keep bottles of cooking booze around check your local booze store. Around here they have the little old fashioned airplane sized bottle pretty cheap. Cointreau is usually the most expensive of the Triple Sec’s and Grand Marnier is about the cheapest. Your mileage may vary.

{{Herself Sez: Grand Marnier may be cheapest, but I think it tastes best! And you can forget the white rice! I really like the Texmati Royal Blend (red, white, brown and wild rice mix). Yummm! Add a little more lime and Tequila for me, but Himself prefers less lime and less Tequila.}}

Bananas Foster

Image via Wikipedia

In the 1950’s the famous New Orleans Brennen’s Restaurant chef Paul Blangé created this decadently tasty goody and named it after one of the New Orleans biggies: Richard Foster.

½ stick unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
1 cup brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup banana liqueur
4 bananas, quartered: in half crosswise , then lengthwise
¼ Cup dark rum
8 scoops vanilla ice cream

You will want a good non-stick skillet for this as it really makes a sticky mess. Get the butter melted but not overly hot and add the brown sugar and cinnamon. Using low heat stir gently until the sugar dissolves. You may need to up the heat a bit if things are not working right, but don’t go much at a time. Stir in the banana liqueur and then place the bananas in the pan and scoop liquid up over them. Cook gently until the bananas soften. Remove from the fire and pour the rum carefully over everything. Place back on the heat and strike a stick lighter to flame the rum. If you are practiced and/or gutsy and/or just nuts then you can get the flame by just tilting the skillet over the burner. This is also likely to make a large mess – so I usually just use a stick lighter.

When the flames go out then scoop four pieces of banana and ¼ of the juice over each bowl of ice cream. Be sure to use a really good grade of French Vanilla the first time you try this. After that – just be guided by your own decadent taste buds.

This must be made and served immediately. It will not keep for any time at all. If you want to be really impressive get out your chafing dish and make it at the table (or get your butler to do it). {{Herself Sez: O Bunter, Where Art Thou?}}

This serves four. It is totally rich and delicious. It is not very difficult to make nor is it really all that expensive. Banana liqueur is not terribly expensive. Hercule Poirot drinks it before dinner in Hickory Dickory Dock, but that really is a bit much for me and I tend to reflect Chief Inspector Japp’s attitude about it.

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