Garlic Shrimp Bruschetta

Last Saturday was Charisse's day to cook us a date night dinner. In our plan, we had all afternoon to chop, mince, slice and create a romantic three course meal for two.Unfortunately, that didn't work out so well. Our good friend had a baby shower that morning and after all the fun and games Charisse didn't get home until 6:30pm and was completely exhausted and coming off a sugar high from all the cake and baby shaped jello (yes, a baby shaped jello mold....it was a bit scary!). So instead of mincing, chopping, and slicing, Charisse ended up horizontal on the couch debating whether or not to order a pizza for dinner. Unfortunately we can't  blog about Pizza Guys (our favorite pizza place in San Jose, and no, its not a paid link!) so she gathered all her strength and dragged herself to the kitchen. We diced and sliced going with a lovely Garlic Shrimp Bruschetta as the first course, saving room for two perfect filets that had been bought that day. By the end of the first course we ate so much bruschetta we were faced with a choice, go for the main course or go for dessert. Since we were so full and there was no room left for steak, we went for the dessert. Charisse was surprised when she asked her meat loving husband if he wanted more shrimp on toast or a nice juicy filet, and he asked for the shrimp! That's when you know a dish must be good.  This bruschetta isn't your typical recipe. With the addition of shrimp, white wine and cream, it is much hardier and filling than a normal first course, but you can use a smaller baguette as a base and still serve it as a first course. We will definitely make this recipe again. 

Pictures and Recipe after the break

Garlic Shrimp Bruschetta
What You Will Need

4 Tbs unsalted butter
2 lbs of fresh or frozen shrimp (peeled and de-veined)
5 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 shallot (minced)
2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbs reggiano cheese (grated)
2 Tbs fresh basil (chopped)
2 Tbs fresh parsley (chopped)
1 fresh baguette (sliced)
salt and pepper to taste

Chop the shrimp into smaller pieces and salt and pepper them.  Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and saute until slightly pink, about 2 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and continue cooking until shrimp are pink and onions and garlic are transparent. 

In the mean time, brush the slice baguette with olive oil and brown it.  There are different ways to brown your bread. We browned it in a small frying pan over medium heat, but you may also us your broiler or a toaster oven if you have one. Pay attention and be careful not to burn your bread! Keep warm

Add wine to the shrimp and cook until reduced by half.  Stir in the cream, cheese, tomato, basil and parsley and cook until well heated and thickened.  Top the sliced baguettes with a heaping spoonful of shrimp mixture and drizzle with extra sauce. You will love that the bread soaks up the sauce! Tasty!

Top with a sprig of parsley and serve hot!


adapted from www.humblegourmand.com