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Shrimp in Chardonnay Sauce




Source of Recipe


e-cookbooks.net


Recipe Introduction


Enriching a Sauce With Wine
By MARK BITTMAN

Wine is a common ingredient in finishing sauces, but it is not often used as a base. It lacks the body and texture of homemade stock, but nevertheless has attributes that stock lacks, like acidity and fruitiness, and when reduced it develops complexity. Wine's thinness is easily countered by the addition of judicious amounts of butter
and, even better, a bit of cream. In fact, a wine reduction with cream added is the modern equivalent of a cream sauce with wine added: lighter, brighter-tasting and far lower in fat.

Making one is simple: the most time-consuming part of the recipe - peeling the shrimp - can be avoided by using sea scallops instead.
Boil a couple of cups of wine with shallots and butter as quickly as your stove will allow. A broad pan with sloping sides is best for this because it allows the wine to evaporate at about the right pace; too wide a pan may allow scorching, too narrow will increase the cooking time unnecessarily.

When the wine is almost completely gone, cook the shrimp in this sauce; they will release a good deal of their own liquid, so don't stop reducing the wine too soon.

The keys to finishing the dish are seasoning and body: it will takeplenty of salt and a fair pinch of cayenne (or tarragon or chervil).

Another pat of butter is needed both to temper the acidity and to enhance the structure of the sauce, and though it is hardly necessary, a splash of heavy cream takes this process a bit further.

Garnishing with a fresh herb is the perfect touch: chervil is ideal here, but you're more likely to find parsley.

The only problem with this dish is that, wine and shrimp prices being what they are, it can be expensive. The chardonnay need not be heavily oaked, but it should have good fruit and be something you are willing to drink. I tried this dish with riesling, pinot blanc and
sauvignon blanc and found the results less satisfying than when made with even cheap chardonnay.




List of Ingredients




2 cups chardonnay or other full-bodied white wine
2 shallots, minced
3 tablespoons butter
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 1/2 to 2 pounds shrimp (deveined if you like)
1/2 cup heavy cream, optional
Chopped parsley or chervil for garnish, optional


Recipe



1. In a 10-inch skillet with sloping sides, or a wok or saucepan, combine wine, shallots, 2 tablespoons butter, a large pinch of salt and cayenne. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce, stirring occasionally, until nearly dry, about 10 minutes. While it reduces, peel shrimp.

2. Add shrimp to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in remaining butter and, if you like, cream. Taste and add more salt or cayenne if necessary. Garnish and serve immediately.

YIELD: 4 Servings