Tyler Florence's Ultimate Southern Style

I think the first time I heard anything about Chef Tyler Florence was when he teamed with Applebee's in an effort to attract a younger dining audience to the restaurant. Since becoming familiar with his name in the commercials for Applebee's, I became acquainted with his style watching his show Tyler's Ultimate on Food Network and later, on Cooking Channel.

For those of you not yet familiar with Chef Tyler Florence, he is a graduate of the College of Culinary Arts and has hosted several television shows on Food Network. In addition to authoring many cooking books, he also owns several kitchen retail shops and signature restaurants.

Like Chef Anne Burrell and Ina Garten, Chef Florence introduces brilliant recipes to the home cook. He also shares many (many, many) GREAT cooking techniques that were once well-guarded secrets within the culinary set. Most of these techniques are not included in recipes, but they are worth their weight in gold and I learned so many of them from watching Tyler Florence. I have yet to make one of his recipes that was not completely delicious. I chose this week's recipe because I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone and make a dish I was not familiar with - or in this case, one I hadn't had since I was a very little girl living on an Air Force base near Selma, Alabama.

Ultimate Shrimp and Grits

Courtesy of Cooking Channel

For the Grits:

3 cups milk

3 cups cream

1 cup stone-ground white cornmeal

2 tbsp. butter

salt & pepper

Place a 3-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the milk and cream. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal. When the grits begin to bubble, turn the heat down to medium low and simmer, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Allow to cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and thick. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, thin it out with a little extra cream. Season with salt and pepper.

For the Shrimp:

olive oil

1 medium white onion, diced

1 garlic clove, finely diced

1 lb. andouille or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed (if necessary) and cut into chunks

1/4 cup flour

2 cups chicken stock (low sodium)

2 bay leaves

2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled & deveined with tails left on

pinch of red pepper flakes

1/2 lemon, juiced

salt & pepper

2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

4 green onions, slices

While the grits are cooking, start the shrimp. Place a skillet over medium heat and coat with the olive oil, about two turns of the pan. Add the onion; saute for 2 minutes to soften. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until there is a fair amount of fat in the pan and the sausage is brown. Add the garlic and cook for just a minute. Sprinkle in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to create a roux. Slowly pour in the chicken stock and continue to stir to avoid lumps. Toss in the bay leaves. When the liquid comes to a simmer, add the shrimp. Poach the shrimp in the stock for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are firm and pink and the gravy is smooth and thick. Add the red pepper flakes and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper; stir in the parsley and green onion. Spoon the grits into a serving bowl. Add the shrimp, sausage and gravy; mix well. Serve immediately with Tabasco sauce, if you like a little more heat.

I'm so glad I decided on the grits. I'd forgotten what a terrific alternative they are to potatoes or rice. We'll definitely be having grits more often!

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