Low Country Shrimp Boil... at altitude!

Dave & Karen were our hosts for this fantastic summer treat!  A low country shrimp boil... up at altitude.  The house looked and smelled beautiful, and I was even greeted with big hugs from one of the smaller residents (thank you, Trip).  There were luminarias trimming the deck out back, and a long table decked out with a checkered table cloth, butcher paper and tea lights in mason jars.  The skies had grown dark but everyone was hopeful it would blow over or hold off until later.
As guests arrived Karen started us off with a lovely white wine in glasses with personalized charms - small, silver trimmed tags that coordinated elegantly with the table settings.  Soon the cocktails were all set up and we could get the show underway!
Gerald & Jillian started us out with an amazing cocktail:  ginger-infused citrus vodka with fresh lemonade in a candied ginger rimmed glass.  It was brilliant!  Refreshing, crisp and layered with wonderful flavors that melded into one wonderful drink.
With these lovely libations was the first appetizer course brought to us by Chris & Chris:  zucchini fritters served crispy with a basil mayonnaise.  No one had just one!  They were fried but felt quite light.  The zucchini still had some tooth to it and gave each piece a wonderful texture, but also it gave the whole piece a shape that allowed the delicious basil sauce to catch in nooks and crannies, adding another level of awesome to these little two-bite balls of deliciousness!
A second round of appetizers came from Josh and I in a Manhattan style seafood chowder, served with a strip of salty schiacciata bread.  Accompanying these were a couple growlers of Josh's home brewed hard lemonade, each glass muddled with a bit of mint.  Clams, bay scallops and shrimp, combined with a healthy amount of butter and cream, gave the soup a rich, broad seafood flavor.  The flaky crunch from the flat bread was a nice contrast to the smooth chowder.
Dave & Karen now stepped up to deliver the main course:  boiled shrimp, keilbasa, potatoes, corn on the cob and onions were laid out in big pans down the center of the table for everyone to dig into.  No plates.  No place ware.  Everyone just sat at the long table with their drink and went to town.  Not only did the food all taste wonderful, it was super fun to eat!
The rain held off just until we'd about finished dinner, then we all shuffled inside.  Jen & Andrew then sliced up a sweet piece of delectable shortcake with a mix of berries piled high and topped off with a dollop of fresh whipped cream for each of us.  A subtle layer of lemon curd lay between the cake and berries to brighten up the sweetness on top.  The cake was perfectly done - spongy and light with a nice fine crumb.  Just the perfect finish to our meal!
A huge success!  Thank you to everyone as always for your effort, imagination and laughter.  And a special thanks to our hosts, David and Karen!!  See y'all at The Redmore's in October!

Bayon Zucchini Fritters
 BASIL MAYO:

• 1 cup basil
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

FRITTERS:

• About 6 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 3 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1/2 fresh jalapeño, stemmed and minced (including seeds)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 6 slices crisp-cooked bacon, finely chopped

Basil mayo:

Purée basil with mayonnaise, water, and lemon juice in a blender. Transfer to a small bowl and chill until ready to use.

Fritters:

Preheat oven to 200°F.
Heat 3 inches oil to 350°F in a deep 5-quart pot over medium-high heat.
Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir together zucchini, jalapeño, chives, and a pinch of salt in another bowl. Add egg, milk, and bacon to zucchini mixture and toss to coat zucchini. Stir in flour mixture until incorporated.
Fry small spoonfuls of batter in batches of about 10, turning occasionally, until golden-brown all over, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Return oil to 350°F between batches.

Redmore Seafood Chowder

• 2 Sticks butter
• 1 Cup flour
• 2 Quarts Half & Half
• 4 Cans baby clams (2 minced, 2chopped)
• 2 Cups Scallops - raw
• 1 Cup cooked shrimp
• (Crab, or really any other type of seafood you'd like)
• Salt, pepper, Seafood Magic, Old Bay, or other seasoning to taste

1. In a 4 qt. pan, melt butter and stir in flour till smooth.
2. Gradually whisk in half & half. Stir till thickens.
3. Heat till boiling.
4. Add seafood and juices (Chop scallops if necessary.)
5. Boil till scallops are done  5-10 min
6. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and any other desired seasonings to taste.

Better the second day.

Lundquist Shrimp Boil

• 2 Zatarain’s Crab “n” Shrimp Boil in Bags
• 1/2  bottle Zatarain’s Crab “n” Shrimp Boil oil
• 1 Cup salt
• 3-4 large onions (peeled and quartered)
• 2 lemons cut in half
• 6-10 whole ears of corn cut in half or 12-24 frozen small corn n the cob
• 3 lbs Kielbasa cut into 2 inch pieces
• 3 pounds large raw shrimp in shells (about 25 per lb)
• 2 whole bulbs garlic, unpeeled with top sliced o
• 18-24 small red potatoes
• Freezer paper
• Squeezable butter, spicy mustard and cocktail sauce
• 2 baguettes sliced into 1 inch slices
• 1 34 quart turkey fryer with strainer basket that goes almost to the top of the pot

1. Bring water to a boil in a covered pot with large strainer basket (fi ll pot 2/3 full)
2. Add garlic, Zatarain’s spice bags, Zatarain’s oil and salt - boil for 15 minutes
3. Add potatoes - boil for 7 - 8 minutes
4. Add corn - boil for 5 minutes (if corn is frozen you may need to turn up heat to get the water boiling again)
5. Add kielbasa - boil 8 minutes
6. Squeeze lemons into pot and then throw them in along with the onions - boil 3 - 4 minutes
7. Add Shrimp - boil for about 5 minutes or just until shrimp turns pink --don’t over cook.  Serve!

Jaffe Berry Shortcake

"I used a pan called a “Mary Ann Pan” (@Williams Sonoma) that has an indentation on the top for the fruit to go in.  But you can probably use a regular springform pan and cut a bit of the cake out on top to hold the fruit."  -Jen

WHIPPED CREAM

• 1 cup chilled heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp sugar

 Beat together until stiff peaks form.  (I would double this…I don’t think it made enough)

FRUIT FILLING

• 3-4 cups of mixed berries
• ¼ sugar

Combine all refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until berries are tender.

CAKE

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temp
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• Lemon Curd – (ok…I bought this and didn’t make it from scratch…)

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt.  Set aside
2. Beat butter and sugar on medium speed 2 min.  Reduce speed to low and add 1 ½ cups sugar slowly, beating until blended.  Increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, about 3-5 min
3. Add eggs 1-at-a-time beating well after each.  Add in vanilla.
4. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk and start/ending with flour.  Beat just until blended but no lumps.
5.  Pour batter in prepared cake pan (grease/flour) and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  Let cool for 15 min and turn out on wire rack to cool for 1 hour.

Cake prep:

1. Strain berries over mesh sieve.  Using a pastry brush, spread berry juices over top of cake
2. Top cake with lemon curd, berries and serve with whipped cream