Shrimp Kisses Recipes

SHRIMP KISSES

Steps:

• 1. Heat vegetable oil to 350 degrees.
• 2. Clean and devain 1 pound of jumbo shrimp. Slice each shrimp down the center using the sand vein as your guide, careful not to cut all the way through. Also known as butterflying.
• 3. Slice cheese in approx. 1/4 inches thick so that you have one piece of cheese for each shrimp. Place one slice of cheese into each shrimp where you butterflied it.
• 4. Wrap each stuffed shrimp with a slice of bacon, securing it with a toothpick.
• 5. Fry the finished shrimp for approximately 3-5 minutes or until bacon is crispy and shrimp is pink. Drain on paper towels. Enjoy! :o)

GALVESTON SHRIMP KISSES WITH CARAMELIZED PINEAPPLE COULIS

Steps:

• Peel all of the raw shrimp. One at a time, use a sharp paring knife to slice halfway through the shrimp, butterflying it through the belly side, and creating a place to stuff with the cheese filling. Do not cut all the way through the shrimp, only butterfly it. The shrimp should open up slightly, like a book. (The shrimp can be butterflied through the back, but the stuffing holds up better when it is cradled inside the shrimp by butterflying it through the belly.)
• Make the filling by grating the cheese, and adding it to a bowl with the sliced green onions, and the room-temp cream cheese (microwave in 10-second bursts if you need to soften it) mash it with a fork mixing it all together until you get a mixture that you can make soft cheese balls from.
• Open and lay out your bacon in front of you. Scoop up a small ball of cheese and roll it in your palm (about 1/2" diameter). Take a shrimp and the cheese ball and push the cheese into the butterflied belly. Mash it gently into the opening so that it fills up the space.
• Take your bacon and holding the shrimp in 1 hand, wrap the bacon around the shrimp starting at the top and wrapping over and over towards the bottom until you have covered the cheese and shrimp, secure with toothpicks. The shrimp and cheese should be fully encased in bacon.
• Repeat with the remaining shrimp. When they're all done, place them in the freezer where they won't get smashed. We just want to chill and firm them up since they have been melting in your warm hands. Freeze 30 min while you complete the pineapple sauce.
• For the pineapple: Take the chunks and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spray them with a little cooking spray or oil. Place them in a 400-degree oven for about 20 minutes or until brown. Try not to let many black areas develop. Brown is good, black is burnt! You can also use your oven's broiler but I would not recommend walking away from them. I would stand and watch as the color develops because it tends to happen very quickly.
• Take the brown pineapple pieces and place them in a blender. Blend them into a puree, adding a little water if necessary. Place the puree in a saucepan and add the 1/4 c. butter, a pinch of salt, and a squeeze of lemon. Let the butter melt and stir in the cream. Heat the mixture gradually until it comes to a boil. Let simmer just until it thickens slightly. Taste and add additional salt or lemon juice if necessary. Keep warm while you cook the shrimp.
• Heat a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat and fill it half of the way up with canola oil. Heat oil to about 385 degrees. Place 2-4 freezer-chilled shrimp at a time into the hot oil and let them fry until the bacon is crisp and the cheese inside is hot and melty. Dry them off on a cooling rack or on paper towels. Remove the toothpicks before serving.
• To plate, place a bit of sauce on a plate, top with the shrimp, and sprinkle with cilantro and chipotle pepper powder.

MERINGUE COOKIES ("FORGOTTEN KISSES")

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until fluffy but not at all dry. (Be careful not to over beat.) Add the sugar gradually, about 3 tablespoons at a time. When 1/2 of the sugar has been added, add the vanilla extract. Continue beating and adding remaining sugar in batches, until all of the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is very shiny and tight. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Working one teaspoon at a time, push a teaspoonful of meringue from the tip of 1 teaspoon with the back of another teaspoon onto the lined baking sheets, leaving 1-inch of space between cookies. Place baking sheets in the preheated oven and turn the oven off. Leave the cookies (undisturbed) in the oven for at least 2 hours and up to overnight, or until cookies are crisp and dry.