The Diva Gourmet

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A FESTIVE MEAL
ShrimP Boil

A shrimp boil is simple, fun and delicious! Cover your picnic table with packing paper and dump all the ingredients in the middle from the cooking pot. Have different mustards and cocktail sauces......being a diva has never been so easy.

For a small or large group of people, a shrimp boil is festive. Using a propane heated pot is the ticket. It is an investment but you will use it over and over.

I recommend buying good quality fresh, large shrimp and hand made sausages. Be adventurous with the mustards and cocktail sauces. There are so many types available at the grocery.

Ingredients

Water
2 lemons, halved, plus more for serving
3 bay leaves
2 t salt
1/4 c Old Bay
1/2 bunch thyme, tied together
1 medium onion, quartered
2 serrano chiles, split in 1/2 lengthwise
1 head garlic, halved
1 pound 5 ounces red new potatoes, medium to large, cut in 1/2
3 ears sweet corn, halved
3 andouille or kielbasa, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 pound 5 ounces)
2 pounds jumbo shrimp with heads and tails

Directions lemons

Fill a huge stockpot, preferably fitted with a basket insert, with about 4 quarts of water.

Squeeze the lemons into the water, tossing in the halves too. Add the bay leaves, salt, seasoning, thyme, onions, chiles and garlic; bring the broth to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer for 10 minutes. You want an aromatic broth with plenty of salt and spices.

finished boil Add the potatoes to the pot to give them a head start; simmer for 20 minutes. Add the corn and sausage; cook another 5 minutes, making sure everything stays covered with the liquid.

Then toss in the shrimp and shut off the heat. Cover the pot and let the shrimp steep in the flavor for 15 minutes. Drain and spread the shrimp, sausage, clams, corn, potatoes, and onions out on a newspaper-covered table. Serve with lemons, cocktail sauce and plenty of napkins.

Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence.

Twist on Tonic

My summer sipper is a tall, cold, gin and tonic, with fresh lime. In search of a new taste, I found this recipe by Kevin Ludwig. Perfection in a glass! The steeping process is quick and the french press works efficiently to clean out the debris.

I use about three to four tablespoons of the syrup, add gin, pour in a tall glass filled with ice, top off with soda water and a fresh slice of lime. Give the drink a stir to blend.

Tonic Water Syrup

4 c water
1/4 c cinchona bark (try Tenzing Momo)
1/4 c citric acid
zest and juice of 1 lime
zest and juice of 1 lemon
zest and juice of 1 orange
1 t coriander seeds
1 t dried bitter orange peel
10 dashes bitters
1 hand crushed juniper berry
4 c sugar

Combine all ingredients except sugar in a large pot, bring to a boil, turn heat to low and simmer for 20"
Remove from heat and cool, then strain. The cinchona bark is very fine and needs to be fine strained through a french press coffee strainer. Do this in batches and pour back into a clean large pot.
Add the sugar to the strained mixture. Bring liquid back to a simmer, add sugar, stir until dissolved.
Pour into a food safe container and refrigerate. The syrup can also be frozen.

“wine a little, laugh a lot”

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"The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind"
Humphrey Bogart