CRISP is one of our favorite Rochester restaurants. Chef/Owner Wendi Hollarbeck is, like me, is a Native Texan transplanted to the Finger Lakes region. She contributed this dish and describes it as “a love letter to comfort food and Southern roots inspired by my late Granny—who taught me how to cook and made sure no one ever left her table hungry—this dish brings back the flavors I grew up loving. Her shrimp and cheesy grits were pure comfort in a bowl, and growing up in Texas, grits showed up at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I knew Rochester would love them too.”
Grits: 1 box grits, approx ½ c heavy cream, ½ c grated cheddar cheese, ½ c monterey jack cheese, 1 t freshly grated black pepper, 1 t sea salt.
Because grits cooking time varies by brand, follow the instructions on your grits box. Keep in mind that grits tend to lump, like polenta, so stir the grits into the water/cream mix slowly while stirring to keep it from lumping. Follow the box recipe, but replace ¼ of the water with heavy cream. Bring water, cream and seasonings to a boil, then slowly, whisk in the grits. When they are creamy and soft to the bite, stir in the cheeses. Keep warm.
- ½ lb fresh Tiger Shrimp(or Gulf of Mexico)
- 1 T no-Sodium Cajun Seasoning
- 1 pint tri-color grape tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ c Lobster Stock (can use fish stock or dry white wine)
- 4 oz pork belly or thick cut bacon (optional)
- Approx ½ c blended vegetable oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 T butter, cubed
- 1 T minced parsley for garnish
Toss the grape tomatoes with 1 t oil, season with salt and pepper, then oven roast at 400 F for 25 mins. Remove and keep warm. Meanwhile, heavily season the shrimp on all sides with cajun seasoning, set aside. Dice, then sear the Pork Belly in a saute pan at med-high. Remove the pork belly, then add 1 T oil and heat to medium.
In the same saute pan over medium heat, add blended oil. When hot, add shrimp to pan and arrange in a single layer. Add shrimp in single layer and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Allow to blacken on that side. Remove from heat set aside.
In the pan, heat 1 T oil, then add tomatoes, shallots, garlic and cook for 1 min until fragrant. Add in stock and bring to a simmer. Add cold cubed butter and swirl pan to help emulsify.
Assemble the dish with the grits as the base, then tomatoes, shrimp and spoon over sauce. Garnish with parsley.
2022 Dry Riesling, Limestone Springs
2022 will definitely be remembered as one of our greatest Riesling vintages ever. The combination of a polar vortex in February, which severely reduced the number of live buds and therefore the harvest volume and a consistently sunny and warm growing season produced ideal harvest conditions. All of the 2022 wines, red and white, share a textural richness which characterize this vintage.
The limestone soil shines through in this wine with its white floral notes, bright citrus fruit, saline character and spicy elements. Very enjoyable now, this will also be a wine to cellar.
