Bun Bust

One of my favorite things to get while dining out casually when I lived on the East Coast was Shrimp or Lobster Rolls.  I didn't live in Maine so the quality of lobster was never really the star of the show.  My favorite part was the New England Style hot dog bun with the split top.  When I saw this shrimp salad roll in the latest edition of Cooking Light I was so excited to see it served on that type of bun.  I had my hopes set high that I would be able to find that specific delivery method here in the south.  I searched several supermarkets in my area all to no avail.  But I shouldn't have been surprised, because I think the reason I love those buns so much is because I had never seen them while living in New Orleans and they were a novelty to me.  I would have been thrilled to have been able to serve these on the perfectly grilled split top bun to stay authentic, but I had to make a regular old hot dog bun do.  And by time I took my first bite I had forgotten my ingredient substitution because the shrimp salad was so yummy that it didn't matter.

Shrimp Salad Rolls
Adapted from Cooking Light August 2012

 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1 pound)
• 1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 4 (1 1/2-ounce) hot dog buns
• 8 Boston lettuce leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; swirl to coat. Add shrimp to pan; season with salt and pepper to taste (not the salt and pepper called out in the ingredient list, that is for later); sauté 4 minutes or until done.



Place shrimp on a large plate; chill in refrigerator for 10 minutes. Coarsely chop shrimp.



Combine mayonnaise, and next 6 ingredients (through cayenne pepper) in a large bowl.



Add Shrimp to the mayonnaise mixture,



and mix to combine.



3. Open buns without completely splitting; arrange, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Spray with Pam.  Broil 1 minute or until toasted. Place 2 lettuce leaves in each bun; top each serving with 1/2 cup shrimp mixture.



Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Wish Wash

Check out my latest non-food related indulgence here:

http://elizabethsedibleexperiencereviews.blogspot.com/2012/07/dove-renewing-body-wash-review.html

Say that as fast as you can 3 times!

We made a quick weekend trip to one of our favorite sandwich shops in the city, Cochon Butcher to pick up some of their famous Sweet Potato Habanero Hot Sauce for my in-laws.  I have never successfully ventured into "The Butcher" and purchased only the intended items.  I love their meat counter and I always have to indulge in a few of their awesome choices even if I have no planned purpose for them.  During this visit I left with the two bottles of hot sauce I went there to buy, some fresh boudin and two thick slabs of their amazing pancetta.  I had a ton of ideas for incorporating the pancetta into our dinner that night, but most of them involved another trip to the grocery.  I wanted to try to use existing ingredients and this spin on "breakfast for dinner" was the perfect option.  The pancetta was perfectly seasoned and made the best salty, crispy addition to the creamy, cheesy grits!

White Cheddar Pancetta Grits

Ingredients:

• ¼ pound pancetta, diced
• 5 packets of instant grits
• 3 cups of whole milk
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• ½ cup of shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
• 3/4 - 1 teaspoon salt
• ½  teaspoon cracked black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Fresh parsley
  

Directions:

1. Fry pancetta in a small skillet that has been coated with cooking spray. 



Once pancetta is crisp, remove from skillet using a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain.
2.  Empty the contents of 5 packets of instant grits into a microwave safe skillet.  Add milk to the grits and stir to incorporate. 



Whisk in salt, pepper and cayenne.  

3.  Microwave grits on high for 3 minutes.  Remove from microwave and whisk in butter.  



Microwave for another 1 minutes.

4.  Remove grits from microwave and stir in cheese until melted.



5.  Spoon grits into bowl and top with 2 tablespoons of pancetta and fresh parsley.



Click Here for My Printable Recipe