Potted Shrimp on Toast with Celery Radish Salad

Continuing with preparation for Christmas dinner, I did a little baking.  Williams-Sonoma sells Bouchon Silicone Baking Molds.  I am a complete sucker for molds Bouchon means cork and so you make little chocolate corks.  I also bought Bouchon Bakery Chocolate Bouchon Mix.  Although there is nothing unusual in these cakes, they claim the mix has superfine ingredients like Guittard Cocoa Powder, Pure Nielsen Massey Vanilla and Calleaut Chocolate Chips.  The recipe without the mix is on the back of the box that the mold comes in.  It is a package deal so I will not repeat the recipe here.  They are certainly cute and will go with the orange dessert I am going to make and the baklava treats I purchased.

Today I am making potted shrimp.  I seem to make this recipe only when in rental houses.  The last time I made this dish, we were in the rental house in CA having been displaced by the flood of our house.  This recipe is from Fine Cooking Magazine.  It is served with a salad that I will not make until Saturday. This will be my first course.  For the appetizer I am serving cheeses and pate that I purchased.

For the potted Shrimp:

Ingredients:

½ C dry white wine

1/3 C coarsely chopped carrots

1/3 C coarsely chopped celery

1/4C champagne vinegar

5 whole pepper corns

4-6 allspice berries

3 ½” strips of lemon zest

3 dry bay leaves

Kosher salt

10 oz shell on large shrimp

6 oz best quality salted butter

1 ½ T lemon juice

½ t Worcestershire sauce

1/8 t freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 t cayenne

12-15 cocktail size slices of pumpernickel rye

Directions:

1.      In a 2-3 qt. saucepan combine 2 C water with the wine, carrot, celery, vinegar, peppercorns, allspice, lemon zest, 2 of the bay leaves and 1 t salt.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Cover and reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. 

2.      Add shrimp and return to simmer, cover, remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. 

3.      Drain in a colander and let cool. 

4.      Peel and devein the shrimp.  (Discard the other solids.)  In a food processor pulse the shrimp until coarsely chopped.  The pieces should be about pea size. 

5.      Melt the butter in the skillet and add the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, nutmeg and cayenne.  Add the shrimp, stir to coat and scrape into a 10 oz ramekin or bowl. 

6.      They don’t say this, but after it sets a semi-soft stage I am going to stir it again. 

7.      Cover and refrigerate of up to 2 days.  Serve with toasted party pumpernickel bread that has been cut on the diagonal.  Remove from refrigerator 2 hours before serving. 

For the Salad:

Ingredients:

3 C thinly slices celery on the diagonal.  (Use a mandolin)

1 ½ C thinly sliced radishes

3T EVOO

1T lemon juice

½ t Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and fresh pepper

¼ C coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1.      Toss the celery and radishes in a bowl.

2.      Mix remaining ingredients in a small jar and shake to combine.

3.      Dress the salad right before serving.