Emerilized Barbecued Shrimp with Petite Rosemary Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 pounds medium-large shrimp in their shells, about 42
• 2 tablespoons Essence, recipe follows
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 lemons, peeled and sectioned
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 12 Petite Rosemary Biscuits, recipe follows
• Chopped chives, to garnish

Directions

Peel the shrimp, leaving only the last segment of their tails attached. Reserve the shells. Season the shrimp with 1 tablespoon of the Essence and half teaspoon of the black pepper. Toss to combine. Refrigerate the shrimp while you make the sauce base and biscuits. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the reserved shrimp shells, the remaining Essence, the bay leaves, lemons, water, Worcestershire, wine, salt, and the remaining black pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to cool for about 15 minutes, and strain into a small saucepan. There should be about 1 1/2 cups. Place over high heat, bring to a boil, and cook until thick, syrupy, and dark brown, for about 15 minutes. Makes about 4 to 5 tablespoons of the sauce base. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the seasoned shrimp and cook, occasionally shaking the skillet, for 2 minutes. Add the cream and all of the sauce base. Stir and simmer for 3 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a warm platter with tongs and whisk the butter into the sauce. Remove from the heat. Makes about 2 cups. Mound the shrimp in the center of a platter. Spoon the sauce over the shrimp and around the plate. Arrange the biscuits around the shrimp. Garnish with chopped chives.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch

Published by William Morrow, 1993.

For the Petite Rosemary Biscuits:

• 1 cup bleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced and chilled
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, or as needed

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or a fork, or rub between your fingers, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the rosemary. Stir in the 1/2 cup buttermilk a few tablespoons at a time. Knead the dough in the bowl just until it holds together, adding additional buttermilk, a tablespoon at a time, if the dough is too dry. Take care not to overwork the dough, or the biscuits will be tough rather than light and airy.

On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough into a circle about 7 inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick. Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 12 biscuits. You can gather up the scraps to roll out more biscuits, but these won't be quite as light.

Place the biscuits on a large baking sheet. Bake until golden on top and lightly browned on the bottom, about 12 minutes.

Yield: 12 biscuits