April

Susan Spicer began her cooking career in New Orleans as an apprentice to Chef Daniel Bonnot at the Louis XVI Restaurant in 1979 and has gone on to become the guest chef at The James Beard House, The Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, the Lanesborough in London, Cunard and Crystal Cruise Lines, as well as appearing on local and national television. In May 1993, she was the recipient of the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Southeast Region and, in 1995 was chosen for the Mondavi Culinary Excellence Award. In the 2007, Zagat Guide for New Orleans, Bayona is listed as one of the top restaurants in the city, receiving a rating of 28 points out of 30. Susan's first cookbook entitled Crescent City Cooking: Unforgettable Recipes from Susan Spicer's New Orleans, was released nationwide by Knopf in late October 2007.

Potato Shrimp Clemenceau

By Susan Spicer of Bayona

Ingredients

• 2 (70 - 60 count) Idaho Potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 3 1/2 T olive oil
• 1 lb. peeled and deveined headless shrimp
• 1 lb. quartered mushrooms
• 1 t minced garlic
• 1/2 c frozen or fresh (or sugar snaps or snow peas, blanched) peas
• 1/2 c white wine
• Fresh juice of 2 lemons
• 6-8 T unsalted, softened butter
• Salt, ground black pepperand hot sauce to taste
• 1/4 c green finely sliced onion

Method

Bring Idaho Potatoes to boil in salted water. Simmer 3-5 minutes or until just cooked but still firm; drain. Shock in ice water. Drain and pat dry.

In a large sauté pan, heat 1 T oil and sauté shrimp until pink. Remove from pan and add 2 T oil to pan. Add potatoes and cook until golden brown. Add mushrooms and cook another 3-4 minutes, adding another t oil if necessary. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute; add peas and return shrimp to pan. Stir or toss to combine ingredients, season to taste with salt and a little pepper, then remove all to a warm platter. Pour the wine and lemon juice into the pan and bring to a boil, whisking all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let simmer until liquid is reduced to about 2 T Whisk in the softened butter 1 T at a time. (Sauce should be creamy and not too sharp.) Season with salt, pepper and lots of hot sauce. Pour evenly over the shrimp/potato mixture. Garnish with green onions.

Serves 4




Water Conservation Tip:
Remove tarnish from stored silverware by soaking in potato water. Soak the potatoes on the water and use a soft cloth to wipe off the tarnish. The denser the potato water, the easier it will be to remove tarnish.

Learn more about the world water crisis and what you can do to help by visiting tapproject.org.