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To devein a shrimp, cut it with a knife
along the back of the prawn. Split the shrimp open and pull out the vein.
Another option is to run a specialized knife known as a shrimp cleaner down the
back of the prawn, then lift up to remove the vein.
Don't remove the entire shell when peeling shrimp. Leave the tail segment on for
a more attractive display.
Once the shrimp has been poached, shock it to stop the cooking process by
dropping them in cold ice water. |
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Lobster and Shrimp Cheesecake
1/2 lb. cooked Maine lobster
1/2 lb. lump crabmeat
1/2 lb. cooked jumbo shrimp
1 lb. mascarpone cheese
2 lb. cream cheese
5 eggs
1 1/4 C. flour
1/2 bunch scallions, diced
Kosher salt and white pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 250° F.
Cut cream cheese into pieces. Allow both cheeses to come to room temperature.
Cut seafood into 1/2-inch cubes. In a heavy-duty mixer, or using a hand-held
potato masher, blend mascarpone and cream cheese into a smooth paste, then
slowly blend in eggs one at a time.
Sift flour into mixture while mixer is running. Mixer should be set on low to
avoid lumps. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pour into a mixing bowl and fold in seafood and scallions by hand with a rubber
spatula. Do not overmix or lobster and crabmeat will break into small pieces.
Pour mixture into a greased 10-inch springform pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours or
until cheesecake is golden-brown and firm. Allow to cool completely before
cutting.
Serve with Pesto Sauce, if desired.
Pesto Sauce
1 lb. unsalted butter
2 shallots
8 oz. dry white wine
4 oz. cooked jumbo shrimp, sliced in half
4 oz. lump crabmeat
3 oz., or 1/3 cup, prepared pesto
2 T. fresh lemon juice
Dice butter and allow to come to room temperature. Melt 2 tablespoons of the
butter over medium heat and sauté shallots until soft (do not brown). Add wine
and reduce by half over high heat. Slowly whip in all but 2 tablespoons of the
remaining butter to form an emulsified sauce. Strain, pressing shallots with a
spoon to extract juice, and set aside.
Sauté shrimp and crabmeat in the remaining butter in a saucepan over low heat
until hot. Add pesto to seafood and bring to a boil. Add wine sauce to pesto,
reduce heat, and warm it just a little (do not boil or sauce will separate). Add
lemon juice. Serve over cheesecake.
Yields: 12 to 16 appetizer portions.
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