This recipe is great for breakfast or a first course. I like it because it has griddled toast and poached eggs together. Even if you omit the poached egg, these grits are great to eat. They can also be served as a side dish or part of another.
1 pound raw cleaned shrimp
2 tablespoons olive oil
7 ounces freeze-dried corn
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
Tabasco
1 tablespoon sliced chives
Pinch of salt
4 eggs
4 tablespoons wine vinegar
4 slices white bread
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons butter
White vinegar for poaching the eggs
Fill a large pot with water and a generous splash of vinegar and set it over high heat. Coarsely chop the shrimp and then sauté in the olive oil until just cooked. Remove from the heat and chill. When cold, pulverize the shrimp in a food processor until they resemble coarse grains similar to coarse cornmeal. Reserve in a bowl.
Heat the milk and the corn together in a small pot. When the corn is hydrated and the milk is hot, add the butter, the salt, and the Tabasco and transfer to a blender. Puree the mixture until it is silky smooth and then strain through a fine-meshed sieve. Chill in a bowl over an ice bath. Fold the corn puree into the ground shrimp and add the chives. To serve, warm the mixture slowly in a pot. You may need to add a splash of milk to thin the mixture.
Using a rolling pin, thinly roll out the slices of white bread. Cut off the crusts. Sauté one side of the toast in the butter and then remove it from the pan. Mix the egg yolk, flour, and cream together to form a paste. Season the paste with a pinch of salt and a dash of Tabasco. Place a dollop of the mixture in the center of the toasted side of the bread.
Meanwhile, poach the eggs, then remove them from the water and pat dry on a tea towel. Place the poached egg in the center of the toast and then place the toast back into the sauté pan to toast the other side of the bread. When the second side of toast is golden brown, spoon equal portions of the grits into bowls. Remove the toast from the pan and place the poached egg into the grits with the golden toast on top.
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