RECIPE: A LOWER ALABAMA STYLE SHRIMP BOIL

You can put just about anything in a boil. It is one of the easiest and most fun dishes you can serve for a big party but the key is to use the best quality (fresh or frozen) shrimp you can find and not to overcook it. Serve with crusty bread and cold beer and you’ve got a party! Some people add mushrooms, oysters, fish, crab, and peppers but I prefer this classic recipe.

That one time, when I auditioned for Food Network Star, I had to make a dish to take to the call back the next day. I was in a hotel so I did not have a kitchen. It is a long story but after trying everything I could think of, I went to a fire station and they let me use their kitchen. I made them this same dish (without the beer since they were on duty) and they loved it- they had never had it before.

Gulf Shrimp, onions, corn, and potatoes and a huge pot are the standards for a shrimp boil

LOWER ALABAMA SHRIMP BOIL

Skill level: Easy

Prep Time: 15   Cook Time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

6 lemons, halved, squeezed

1 cup Old Bay seasoning

1 ½ cups New Orleans style crab boil seasoning like Zatarain’s (use liquid or powder)

2 bottles of your favorite beer

4 large white onions, cut in quarters

3 pounds red potatoes, skin on. Cut in half if they are large

10 ears fresh corn cut into 3-4”pieces

3 pounds smoked sausage (I always use Conecuh sausage but use your favorite)

5 pounds whole fresh shrimp 21-26 count/ in the shell

¼ cup kosher salt

1 stick unsalted butter

½ cup hot sauce-optional

 INSTRUCTIONS

Rinse fresh shrimp well with cold water. Set aside. Fill a large stockpot ½ full with water-about 3-4 gallons. Fit the pot with a strainer if you have one. Bring to a boil. Add the first 6 ingredients. And bring back to a full rolling boil. Add potatoes and onion. Put the lid on and cook 10 minutes; bringing the pot back to a full boil and the potatoes are not quite fork tender. Add corn and sausage. Cover and cook 5 minutes until the corn is almost done. Make sure the pot is again at a boil and add the shrimp. Cook 5-7 minutes, stirring the pot frequently to keep the shrimp moving around until they turn pink and curl. Lift the strainer from the liquid or strain the contents from the liquid. Add the butter. Check the seasoning and add the salt and hot sauce to taste.

Don't keep cooking once the shrimp are done--- they will get tough. Once they are done, remove them immediately, drain well and serve.

 *You can double or triple this recipe but if I do, I cook in stages, adding each to a large, sanitary cooler. Keep the lid shut to keep the steam in. The corn will keep cooking so cook it just slightly underdone. Next cook the potatoes and onion and put in the cooler. Again, keep the cooler shut to keep the steam in. Since they will continue to steam, also cook the potatoes slightly underdone. Lastly, cook the shrimp and add it to the cooler. Put the butter in at the end and stir everything together carefully so you don't break up the potatoes. If it is a bit dry, add another stick of butter and toss.

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Some people dump their boil out onto a table covered with newspaper or brown craft paper. I prefer to leave it in the cooler and use a large scoop to serve into paper bowls or plates. That way, it stays hot longer.

RECIPE: SOUTHERN SUMMER SQUASH WITH SWEET ONIONS

Where I live in Alabama, we are able to grow an abundance of yellow (summer) squash in the garden and it is always on the table in the summer. This is the way my mom cooked yellow squash and it is still my favorite way. Although I used black pepper for this batch, my mom only used white pepper for her squash.

For summer squash from the garden, you can cook it with or without onions. We prefer sweet onions but yellow (Spanish) onions are equally delicious. There's also the white pepper vs black pepper debate. Purists will say you must only use white pepper. You can see I opted for black pepper here.

SUMMER SQUASH AND SWEET ONIONS

Skill Level: Easy    Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 35-40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

6-8 medium yellow squash, sliced

1-2 Vidalia onions, sliced thin

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup cold water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper (the old school way is with white pepper so use that if you have it)

INSTRUCTIONS

Use a large skillet with a lid. Put the butter in the skillet and let it melt over low heat. Once it is melted, add the onions and increase the heat to medium. Stir and cook the onion until it is softened and turns yellow, about 15 minutes. Be careful not to brown the onion, you want to cook them slowly. Add the squash and salt. Stir once. Put the lid on and let it cook for 5 minutes without opening the lid. Stir. Add the water. Bring to a boil and cook without the lid for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Continue to cook with the lid on, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes or until the squash is tender. Check seasoning; add more salt and pepper if you need to.

RECIPE: WHITE CHOCOLATE ALMOND BREAD PUDDING

One of my favorite flavor combinations; white chocolate and almond pair so well together. You can substitute chocolate and pecans or any flavors you like with this custard. The key to decadent bread pudding is to make sure the bread is suspended in the custard and to bake it in a covered water bath so that it helps keep the pudding moist.

White Chocolate Almond Bread Pudding is easy and always a hit!

WHITE CHOCOLATE ALMOND BREAD PUDDING

INGREDIENTS

8 eggs, beaten

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

4 cups heavy cream

1 ½ pounds bread cubed and lightly toasted

1 cup (8 ounces) white chocolate, chopped

Pinch kosher salt

1 tablespoon vanilla

½ teaspoon Amaretto or almond extract

1tablespoon ground cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg

1 ½ cups sliced toasted almonds

 INSTRUCTIONS

For the custard: Mix all together except the almonds.  Push the cubed bread down into the mixture. It should be light on bread, heavy on custard. Let it sit as long as possible before you bake; even overnight is okay. Before baking, pull a piece of the bread apart to see if it is soaked through.

To Assemble: Use heatproof ramekins. The bread should be suspended in the custard, not dry. Start with a layer of nuts on the bottom. Using your hand, pick up the bread from the custard and add that next. Continue to layer the nuts and bread and pour custard over the top, filling about ¾ full.

To bake: Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Use a water bath to cook the puddings so they don’t dry out. Fill a pitcher with warm water. Put the ramekins in pan with high sides. Fill the pan ½ full with the warm water but take care not to get water into the ramekins.

Cover the pan with 3 layers of plastic wrap. Don’t use foil. You need to be able to see the ramekins. If you lift it, you will remove the steam. Bake at 300 for 30-35 minutes.

Serve warm. Pour over some heavy cream flavored with a bit of Amaretto if you want or shave some white chocolate over the top. Delicious.