Shrimp With Tasso Cream Over Stone-Ground Grits Recipe

Serves: 6
Hands On Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Ingredients
4 cups water
2 cups half-and-half
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups stone-ground grits
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, split in half lengthwise and deveined
2 tablespoons minced shallots
5 ounces tasso ham, minced
2 cups heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
In a large pot, bring water, half-and-half, butter and salt to a simmer. Slowly add grits while whisking. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, for 35 to 45 minutes.
Shortly before grits are ready, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add oil. Add shrimp and sauté until slightly colored, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the shallots and ham and sauté for 2 minutes. Add cream and simmer until cream reduces by one third.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over creamy stone-ground grits.
About the recipe
This hearty main or side dish gets a tasty kick of spice with this classic Cajun ham.
Tasso, a heavily spiced Cajun ham, is available at www.chefpaul.com. You can substitute smoked ham or Canadian bacon, but it won’t have the spice blend, which gives the dish a lot of flavor. You should have leftover grits.
Recipe courtesy of On Main in Conyers, Ga.