I have always been a fan of Susan Spicer; whenever I am in New Orleans I try to dine (at least once) at Bayona. Best known for "knocking cuisine off its pedestal with a healthy dash of hot sauce", Susan is the owner of Bayona and Herbsaint.  On June 2010 she opened Mondo in the Lakeview neighborhood of New Orleans

Here is one of the meals I made this week; a wonderful winter comfort meal from her cookbook Crescent City Cooking: Shrimp Clemenceau. While it is very rich and should be saved for special occasions, this shrimp, potato and pea dish is taken to another level when doused with a tantalizing, spicy lemon, wine, butter sauce. Bon Temp Rouler!

In trying to find the origins of Clemenceau, I came upon this article in The Washington Post: "Chicken was the original main ingredient of this Creole creation, presumed to be the namesake of Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929), a French statesman who served a second term as prime minister of France during World War I and was considered a hero to New Orleanian Creoles of his era. It is also possible that the dish got its name from his grandson, Pierre Clemenceau, who was a New Orleans bon vivant".

Shrimp Clemenceau
Susan Spicer from Crescent City Cooking
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 Idaho Potatoes, cut into ¼ inch cubes
• 3 ½ Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. shrimp, headless, peeled and deveined
• 1 lb. mushrooms, quartered
• 1 tsp. garlic, minced
• ½ cup peas, frozen or fresh (or sugar snaps or snow peas, blanched)
• ½ cup white wine
• 2 lemons, fresh, juice only
• 6-8 Tbsp. butter, unsalted, softened
• to taste, salt, ground black pepper and hot sauce
• ¼ cup green onion, finely sliced

Directions:

1. Bring Idaho Potatoes to boil in salted water. Simmer 3-5 minutes or until just cooked but still firm; drain.
2. Shock in ice water. Drain and pat dry.
3. In large saute pan, heat 1 Tbsp. oil and saute shrimp until pink. Remove from pan and add 2 Tbsp. oil to pan.
4. Add potatoes and cook until golden brown. Add mushrooms and cook another 3-4 minutes, adding another tsp. oil if necessary.
5. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute; add peas and return shrimp to pan.
6. Stir or toss to combine ingredients, season to taste with salt and a little pepper, then remove all to warm platter.
7. Pour the wine and lemon juice into the pan and bring to a boil, whisking all the brown bits from bottom of the pan. Let simmer until liquid is reduced to about 2 Tbsp.
8. Whisk in the softened butter 1 Tbsp. at a time. (Sauce should be creamy and not too sharp.)
9. Season with salt, pepper and lots of hot sauce.
10. Pour evenly over the shrimp/potato mixture. Garnish with green onions.