Commander's Palace Shrimp with Tasso, Five Pepper Jelly & Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc

Vacations were rather limited this summer. Quick trips back home & a weekend get away or two were about it. So, for now I'll have to live vicariously though my parents little vacation to New Orleans. Though I haven't heard much about their trip other than their meal at the infamous Commander's Palace. An institution since 1880, their menu zeros in on Creole & American favorites. Apparently this particular meal changed my dad's life. More times than I can count, my dad has proclaimed he's just eaten the "best meal of his life." He remembers them all. Homemade gnocchi & wood fired pizza in Little Italy. Street tacos in San Miguel. Chuck wagon style Sunday brunches of fried chicken & biscuits in Buffalo Gap, TX. Oysters on the half-shell & martinis on the Gulf. He means it too, so when he came back from New Orleans touting his latest "best meal of his life" I was sure it was good. Singularly the best meal of his life, who knows, but certainly among them. Something of a somber hush comes over him & his eyes get starry when discussing this dish. Without hyperbole he emphasizes that this, Commander's Palace Shrimp with Tasso, Five Pepper Jelly & Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc, was truly the best meal he'd ever had. And, after painstakingly recreating it at home, deveining shrimp, chopping tasso ham & mincing a mountain of pepper into tiny bits, to the tune of seriously pepper burned hands, I might ad, I believe him. I might even be the best meal I've ever had. Burns be damned.

Shrimp & Tasso, serves 6 - 8

recipe adapted from The Commander's Palace

36 jumbo shrimp, shelled & deveined

6 oz. spicy tasso, julienne into 1" strips (can be found in speciality meat markets)

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. vegetable oil

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Make a 1/4" incision down the back of each shrimp & place one strip of tasso in each incision. Secure with a toothpick. Lightly dust each shrimp with seasoned flour & fry in oil until golden (about 1.5 - 2 minutes on each side).

Five Pepper Jelly

recipe adapted from The Commander's Palace
1 each red, yellow & green bell peppers, finely diced
1 jalapeño

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
6 oz. karo light syrup
6 oz. white vinegar

salt to taste

Put light syrup and vinegar in a pot and reduce until sticky (about 2 - 4 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and cook until the peppers are soft (about 5 minutes). Add salt to taste.

Crystal Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc

recipe adapted from The Commander's Palace
5 oz. Crystal hot sauce (or similar hot sauce, such as tabasco)

1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 shallot, minced
2 oz. heavy cream
1 1/2 lb. butter
Saute garlic and shallots in a pan with a little butter until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add crystal hot sauce and reduce by 75% (about 4 minutes). Add cream and reduce again by 50% (about 3 minutes). Slowly whip in softened butter a little at a time until all butter is mixed in (5 minutes more).

Placed cooked shrimp in a bowl with Crystal Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc sauce and toss until well coated. Serve over a bed of white rice (I prefer Basmati) & drizzle with Five Pepper Jelly.