Friday, October 23, 2009

Creamy Rice With Roasted Shrimp


Back in the kitchen! Worked from home so was able to make an appetizer for "happy hour". I had all the ingredients for the recipe in the house so... I had bookmarked this a while back and am glad I finally made it. The recipe comes from Joy the Baker. Prosciutto Dijon Gruyere Puffs. Wow they were good! And so simple to make. The hardest part of the recipe was waiting the 5 minute for the puffs to cool.

Ingredients -
1 package Puff Pastry
8 slices Prosciutto di Parma
3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
flour for dusting
fresh ground black pepper

Directions -
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Thaw puff pastry in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours. Once thawed, carefully unfold and lay on a floured work surface. If the pastry tears at the seam in the unfolding process, it’s not the end of the world, but try to keep it in one un-torn piece. Dust flour on top of the pastry as well.

Puff pastry will already be very flat, but with a rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 11×9-inches. Layer the eight slices of prosciutto on top of the puff pastry. Using a butter knife, layer the mustard on top of the prosciutto slices. Top with grated cheese, and as much fresh ground black pepper as you like.

Begin to roll the right side of the pastry in towards the center. Next roll the left side of the pastry in towards the center. Press together. Dough will not stick together, but if you brush away some of the excess flour on the center dough pieces, they will stay together better during baking.

With a sharp knife, slice the dough into 1/2-inch thick slices. Place on a baking sheet lines with parchment paper. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 12-15 minutes, until a deep golden brown. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from baking sheet and serve warm or at room temperature.

Now on to dinner...
Again I was fortunate to have all the ingredients in the house for this recipe. Creamy Rice with Roasted Shrimp from the Real Simple website. The recipe is for 4 servings. The shrimp was delicious roasted with the thyme, my favorite herb.

Ingredients -
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup Arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

kosher salt and black pepper

1 pound frozen peeled and deveined medium shrimp, thawed
2 pints grape tomatoes

8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic, sliced

Directions - Heat oven to 400º F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the rice and wine and cook, stirring, until the wine is absorbed. Add 2 cups water and 1⁄4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Simmer, covered, over low heat until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, on a rimmed baking sheet, toss the shrimp, tomatoes, thyme, garlic, the remaining tablespoon of oil, and 1⁄2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Had a nice bottle of Wily Jack 2007 Zinfandel.

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