Becoming Julia

So........It's not very realistic for me to aspire to become a Julia Child apprentice, but a girl can dream right? After watching Julie and Julia I was a little inspired that a commoner like myself could attain greatness. I mean there are so many similarities with me and Julie already......red hair, writes on a blog, only a matter of time before I have millions of followers and a book deal, right? But with the New Year I decided I wouldn't make "resolutions", rather I would have a few New Years "intentions." So there you go...... new year's intention #1: cook more (translation: one challenging meal a week). Now, you must know "challenging" is a relative word, since I'm a grilled cheese master and spaghetti maker. So you probably won't be getting beef bourguignon recipe from me anytime soon, but here is a recipe for roasted corn and shrimp chowder I made the other night.


Nothing goes to waste in this recipe, since the shrimp shells and corn cobs make a delicate stock for the soup.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)
Ingredients
1.5 pounds unpeeled large shrimp
4 ears corn
Cooking spray
2 cups coarsely chopped onion
5 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 fresh thyme sprig (or you can do what I did and use 1/4 tsp dried thyme)
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup dry sherry
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup half-and-half

Preparation:
Peel and devein shrimp, reserving shells. Coarsely chop shrimp. Cover shrimp and chill. (this is the sucky part of the job- or I'm just really really slow. Part of me felt like I was back in biology class deveining the shrimp. Have fun).

Remove kernels from ears of corn to measure 2 cups, and set aside. Reserve the corn cobs.

Heat a stockpot coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp shells and onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until shells turn pink. Add corn cobs, water, bay leaf, and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Drain the shrimp stock into a sieve over a bowl; discard solids.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add corn kernels; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add tomato paste; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Combine sherry and flour, stirring with a whisk to form a slurry. Add slurry to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add shrimp stock, salt, and pepper; bring to a simmer. Cook 4 minutes or until bisque starts to thicken, stirring frequently. Add shrimp; cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done. Stir in half-and-half; serve immediately and enjoy!!! You will feel like you are in a restaurant!
Let me know if you make it!