Toss the shrimp with 1 tablespoon of the Essence. Place half of the shrimp in the refrigerator until well chilled, about 20 minutes. Place the food processor bowl and blade in the refrigerator to chill.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic, cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon Essence and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the remaining half of the shrimp and cook until pink, 3 to 3 1/2 minutes. Remove from the heat and spread on a plate to cool completely.

Place the chilled shrimp in the bowl of the food processor and process for 10 seconds. Add the egg white and process for 5 seconds. With the machine running, add the heavy cream through the feed tube in a steady stream.

Transfer to a large bowl. Add the cooked shrimp mixture, green onions, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper sauce, basil, and parsley, and mix well. Form into 8 cakes.

In a shallow bowl combine the flour with 1 tablespoon of the Essence. In another bowl beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. In a third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the remaining tablespoon of Essence. One at a time, dredge the shrimp cakes first in the seasoned flour, then egg and then bread crumbs, shaking to remove any excess breading.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cakes in batches and cook until golden brown, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Remove and drain on paper towels.

To serve, spoon the Roasted Shrimp Sauce on the bottom of 4 plates and top with 2 shrimp cakes each. Garnish with parsley and serve.

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.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot to smoking over high heat. Add shells and cook, stirring, until the shells are bright orange and fragrant, 3 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pot and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, cayenne, salt, and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste begins to brown slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the brandy and cook for about 15 seconds. Add the water and cook until the pan is almost dry, 15 to 30 seconds. Add the cream and cook until reduced by half, about 7 minutes.

Remove from the heat. With a hand-held immersion blender or in batches in a food processor, puree the sauce until smooth, about 1 minute. Strain into a clean pot through a fine mesh strainer, pressing hard with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Place over medium heat and whisk in the cold butter 1 piece at a time. Add the lemon juice, if desired, and serve.

Yield: 2 cups