Wednesday, March 14, 2012

An Out Of Control Grilled Shrimp Supper

A local fresh seafood business just opened a store in Maryville and they were doing the usual come on-sale, which for shrimp was $3 below their normal high price.  But it was enough to inspire us to go buy six pounds with the plan of freezing most of them and having some grilled for supper.

We started out with Bev, SIL Pat, and I having our usual grilled shrimp and Brussels sprouts/ sweet potato hash then Bev suggested we invite the neighbor since his wife was out of town.  As it turns out she was back and they would be delighted to come.  So we decided to add grilled romaine, since they never had it and since they were big dessert fans, Bev decided to make chocolate lava cake.  Our simple family meal had just becom a company meal and then we discovered our propane supplier had let us run out – hum.

So now it’s a full blown dinner party for five without the ability to use the cook top or the gas grill – it’s tied in to the main tank.  So I headed to the lake to retrieve the turkey fryer burner and propane tank and made sure the charcoal grill was ready to go.  I figured I could use the burner to par-steam the potatoes then cook the hash while the shrimp and romaine were on the grill.

Since I’ve posted all of these dishes before, I won’t bother to do it again, but I do want to show the dessert Bev made from Paula Deen’s recipe for Molten Lava Cake.

Ingredients

6 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate*
2 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate (Hersey’s milk chocolate chips)
10 tbsp (1 1/4 stick) butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
1½ cups confectioners' sugar
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp orange liqueur

*Bev used Merckens Bittersweet Chocolate from King Arthur Flour.

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Grease 6 (6-ounce) custard cups (Bev also sprinkled with a little sugar). Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave, or in a double boiler. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur. Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates.

She added some chocolate and caramel syrups to the plate, turned out the cake then topped with vanilla ice cream and red raspberries.

Yep, it was as good as it looked and I was very glad she turned it into a dinner party.

Smoking on your grill - after several recent comments about wanting to smoke meat but not having a smoker, I thought I'd provide this reference for smoking on a gas grill.  Remember - a smoker is just an oven with a smoky environment and any grill can become one. 

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago: Jerk Pork On The Grill

Two years ago:  Pizza Scramble

Larry

3/10/12  meal date

11 comments:

  1. Looks like you pulled it out beautifully. I've had guests "multiply" too. I probably panic more than you two do.

    Bev's cake looks fabulous. Who wouldn't love shrimp followed by lava cake.
    Sam

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  2. Well goodness, that turned into quite the ordeal. Sounds like a great meal. I still have that hash bookmarked to try. That cake looks beautiful. Even though not a dessert fan, I've been known to devour things chocolate.

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  3. I just ran out of propane last night.. right in the middle of grilling!! UGH.. hate when that happens. At least you adapted and overcame the problem - always a sign of a good cook :)
    And the cake... all I can really say is Yes, I would love another piece.. thank you!!

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  4. I am a certified chocoholic and I've never made a lava cake. I know, it's shameful. Now that I have a recipe that looks good, from a source I trusts (you!) I'll be making these for sure. Thanks Larry and Bev!! On and BTW nice improvise on the cooking, hope the propane guy comes out soon!!

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  5. Sounds like you had a great meal even though you had to improvise some. Bev's Lava cake looks wonderful. I haven't tried to make lava cakes yet for some reason, but I'm sure Bev's and Paula's recipe would be the best!

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  6. It's still too rainy for us to bbq but I hate it when we run out of propane. The lava cake looks irresistible! YUM.

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  7. I'd be on that shrimp like nobody's business! Of course, we need about 5 pounds per meal, so it's going to take a little more than 6 pounds for me to have extras to freeze!

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  8. Larry, That is a terrific looking dessert! Hope you changed your propane supplier... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

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  9. Wooooo---you had to work at that dinner, making it all work out. Glad you had a Plan B available....

    The dessert looks fabulous... YUM.... No calories I'm sure... ha ha
    Betsy

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  10. I love when company meals turn out nicely despite the obstacles that can be thrown our way. That dessert looks absolutely incredible. Way to go, Bev.

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  11. Bev kicked butt on that molten lava cake! I never realized your stove top was propane, I thought it was natural gas. What a pain to run out like that!

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