If you're a fan of blue cheese, this one's for you. The Blue cheese is the star of this recipe. Blackened shrimp are a much needed side note though, as they provide texture and protein for this recipe.
I've now left Tybee Island, Ga, and am in Charlotte, NC for a little bit (gotta go where the cookin' is). After 4 months of not being able to cook my kind of food, it's great to be able to use a full sized stove, and refrigerator in a normal "house" kitchen. The first thing I did was comfort food, a Pot Roast, before turning my attention to blacken. Having leftover blue cheese from a salad dressing, I figured that a Blue Cheese Alfredo Sauce was just the ticket, as long as I could include some Blackened Shrimp (or is it Shrimps).
This worked out real well for prepping ahead, and it took about 10 minutes to get it ready to serve once my guests were here. The taste result? TERRIFIC! It was a bit rich, though, and I might not have served as much as I did. I served this with Garlic Bread, and a salad that had an Italian oil and vinegar dressing, spiced with my Italian Blend. The dressing really helped to cut some of that richness.
A word on Blue Cheese:
I used a Danish Blue for this recipe, but, because all blue cheese are not the same you'll have to adjust, based on the flavor profile of the one your using. The less expensive blue cheeses, like the one I buy at Sam's Club, are a little drier, and don't have a real intense blue cheese flavor, I would use a little more of that cheese in this recipe, about 8 ounces. As the cost of the cheese goes up, so does it's flavor and creaminess. The Danish blue, that I used here, is about in the middle. So, if your using a more expensive cheese you should be able to use only 4 ounces of it to get the same rich flavor.
I know you'll enjoy this recipe as much as my guests did.
1. Bring quarts of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta until it's al dente'. Drain, then pace back into the hot pot to remove the residual moisture. Add the oil, and make sure that all of the pasta is coated. The oil will keep the pasta from sticking together.
2. Peel and devein the shrimp, then coat with the blacken and salt.
3. Cook the shrimp in a Teflon fry pan with about 2 tablespoons of oil. Cook on each side about 2 minutes. Add additional oil as needed. Set these aside while you make the sauce.
Ron's Note:
When about 1/2" of the tail has turned pink, it's time to flip them over to the other side. Don't overcook shrimp, they become tough and chewy.
4. Make the Sauce:
Mince the onions real fine, and cook them in a pot along with the oil and butter, over medium heat. Don't have the heat so high that you brown them. Cook until the onions are translucent.
5. Add the flour, and stir it in, making a Roux. Continue to cook the roux over medium heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Add The Wine, turn the heat to medium high,and stir it into the roux until it's all blended, then add the buttermilk, parsley, and white pepper. Let this all get hot, remove it from the heat, and add the blue cheese. Keep stirring until the blue cheese has melted.
Now's a good time to taste for salt and pepper. Blue Cheese is inherently salty, so be careful about adding more.
6. All of the above can be done up to an hour or so prior to your wanting to serve.
When it's time to eat, Place the pot of pasta, back on the stove over medium heat. Stir in the shrimp, and let it heat up, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
7. Add the sauce, and continue re-heating over medium heat, being sure to keep an eye on it and stir often from the bottom to the top. It'll burn pretty quickly.
8. To plate, place a pile of the Alfredo on a plate. I saved some of the blackened shrimp as a garnish, sprinkle with minced parsley, and provide a lemon wedge.
This recipe prints as a shortened version, with only 1 Picture, Ingredients, and Directions.
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This recipe prints as a shortened version, with only 1 Picture, Ingredients, and Directions.
Leftovers
Any leftovers can easily be re-heated in a pot with a little water, or in a microwave.
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By Cap'n Ron
