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I cooked a really delicious dish to bring to a New Year’s Eve party.  It was inspired by a recipe that came in a pamphlet featuring beer as a cooking ingredient.  I rarely cook to recipes verbatim because it’s boring, and sometimes you just KNOW by looking at a recipe that it can be improved.  The dish I made is Shrimp in Habanero Cream Sauce with Carribean Yellow Rice. 

I started with a pound and half of 16/20 Gulf shrimp.  I peeled them completely, putting the shells into a saucepan as I went.  After deveining the shrimp, I laid them into a nine by thirteen baking dish, and covered them with three chopped garlic cloves, half a sliced yellow onion, and a bottle of beer.  I covered the dish with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to marinate overnight.  In the saucepan of shells, I added a teaspoon of sea salt and two cups of water.  I brought it to a boil, and then simmered it for an hour.  I strained out the shells, and put the finished stock into the fridge until the next day. 

So cut to the next day…I pulled the shrimp from the marinade and discarded it.  In a large pot I prepared yellow rice (any good recipe will do, or a high-quality packaged one from Spain or Mexico).  While the rice cooked, I made the cream sauce.  In a saucepan, saute five chopped scallions in one tablespoon each of butter and olive oil.  Mince one or two dried habaneros, and add them to the pot.  Season with salt.  Sprinkle in a quarter cup of flour and cook to a light roux.  Zip the heat up to medium high and whisk in the reserved shrimp stock, two tablespoons of tequila, and one cup of heavy cream.  When the sauce is thickened and glossy, turn the heat to medium and add the shrimp.  Cook them until just opaque.  Turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.

When the rice is done cooking, stir in a good teaspoon of finely minced fresh lime zest and a couple tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro.  Put it on a platter, and pour the sauce and shrimp on top.  Garnish with well-toasted coconut and a little more fresh cilantro.

The partygoers LOVED this dish, and I have to say it was pretty tasty.  It was fiery, yes, but that could easily be adjusted to your tastes by simply using less dried habanero.  This is a keeper.  Call it Camarones Crema de Habanero con Arroz and impress your friends!