Shrimp Fest! Those little crustaceans are crowd pleasers. And they’re cook pleasers too. Read on for some great recipes! Photo © Mark Mayer - Fotolia.com and The Shrimp Council
	Michigan's Old Mission Peninsula Just north of Traverse City, the beautiful area is becoming a hot spot for wine.
	Old Mission Peninsula Wines TheWineBuzz tasted some selections from this up-and-coming wine region. Scroll down for our notes!

And more below....

Shrimp Fest!

Recipes by Nancy Johnson

Those little crustaceans are crowd pleasers. And they’re cook pleasers too. Have only a few minutes to whip up a meal? You can have shrimp stir fry or shrimp with pasta on the table in a flash. Want to be more creative? The possibilities are endless.

Here are a few to get you started (and you’ll find more in our September/October issue):

Scampi with Classic Lemon Butter Sauce

Scampi is the Italian word for "prawn," also called a langoustine in France. Prawns look like little lobsters and are rarely sold in Ohio. However, that hasn't stopped us from enjoying jumbo shrimp in a lemony butter sauce that we have fondly come to know as Scampi. Use the largest shrimp you can find, about 8 - 10 per pound.

2 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled and tails intact
1 TBS butter
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in oil in a large skillet. Add the shrimp in batches and sauté until pink, about 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Make the Lemon Butter Sauce:

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

In food processor, pulse garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. With motor running, slowly add hot melted butter. Pour Lemon Butter Sauce over shrimp. Serve immediately.

Serves 4- 6

Shrimp in Green Curry & Peanut Sauce

This dish incorporates two Thai flavors -- curry and peanuts. Green curry paste is a spicy Thai curry made with coriander seed, green chilies, lemongrass, galangal, lime leaf and other exotic ingredients. It's sold in small jars in the Asian section of most grocery stores. You can adjust the heat up or down by adding more or less curry. It is usually sautéed with the vegetables to tame any bitterness.

1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS grated gingerroot
1 TBS oil
2 chopped scallions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp green curry paste
1 lb. shrimp, peeled
3 cups jasmine rice, cooked
2 TBS minced fresh cilantro
2 TBS unsalted peanuts, crushed

In food processor, process broth, peanut butter, vinegar, salt and ginger until smooth. Set aside.

In large skillet in hot oil, sauté scallions, garlic and curry paste for 3 minutes or until onions are softened. Add shrimp, sauté until shrimp are pink, about 2-3 minutes. Add peanut sauce and heat through. Serve over jasmine rice garnished with fresh cilantro and peanuts.

Serves 4 - 6

San Francisco Cioppino

Years ago, a large number of Italian immigrants settled in the San Francisco area. The hilly streets, beautiful bay and green valleys lush with grapevines must have reminded them of their homeland. They created this hearty stew using the abundance of fresh fish and shellfish available in Northern California. You are not limited to the shellfish in this recipe - feel free to add clams, crab, and lobster -- depending on the health of your wallet!

2 TBS olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 leeks, thinly sliced, white part only
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz.) can tomatoes in juice
1 TBS grated orange peel
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
3 jars bottled clam juice
1 1/2 cups Zinfandel or other dry red wine
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. halibut, in bite-size pieces
16 -20 mussels
1 lb. scallops
1 lb. shrimp
1 loaf French baguette

In a large Dutch oven, in hot oil, sauté onion, leeks, carrot and celery until softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes with their juice, orange peel, fennel seeds, thyme and bay leaves. Sauté for 3 minutes. Add clam juice, wine and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the halibut, cover and cook 2 minutes. Add the mussels, cover and cook 2 minutes more. Add the scallops and shrimp, cover and cook until shrimp are pink and scallops are cooked through about 3 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves and any unopened mussels. Serve in shallow bowls with a French baguette to sop up the juices.

Shrimp Bisque

Shrimp Bisque is an elegant soup that is not often made at home because of all the work involved. But it’s a great way to use shrimp shells, especially when you’re serving shrimp cocktail as an appetizer. The bisque can follow the appetizer as a second course. This recipe takes a few shortcuts (such as bottled clam juice rather than homemade fish stock), but still requires the use of a Chinois for best results. A chinois is a conical sieve with fine mesh that will allow the cook to separate the broth from the vegetables and shrimp shells. You can find a chinois at Williams-Sonoma or at a restaurant supply store. The recipe also calls for a ‘beurre manie,’ which is simply equal parts softened butter and flour mixed together to slightly thicken the bisque.

1 lb. shrimp, unpeeled
2 TBS butter
2 TBS olive oil
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 leeks, white part only chopped
1 tsp thyme
2 TBSs tomato paste
1/2 cup brandy
1 cup dry white wine
1 (16 oz.) can tomato sauce
3 jars clam juice
1 bay leaf
2 TBS butter, softened
2 TBS flour
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Snipped chives

In Dutch oven, melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil. Sauté unpeeled shrimp until pink and curled. Remove, let cool and peel. Set both shrimp peels and shrimp aside.

In same Dutch oven, heat remaining butter and oil. Add celery, onion, carrots and leeks. Cook over low heat 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add reserved shrimp shells, brandy, white wine, tomato sauce, clam juice and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Strain the bisque through a chinois, pushing with a spoon or pestle to extract all the flavor from the shells and vegetables. Discard shells and vegetables. Strain broth a second time and return to the Dutch oven.

Prepare the beurre manie by mixing the butter and flour together. Stir into the broth. Add heavy cream and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Serve in small cups, garnished with a few shrimp and a sprinkling of chives. Serve the remaining chilled shrimp with cocktail sauce. To make cocktail sauce, mix Heinz chili sauce with enough horseradish to create some heat.

*********************************

On a Mission
To making good wines, that is.

Michigan’s Old Mission Peninsula, just north of Traverse City, is becoming a hot spot for wine. Tempered by the water of Grand Traverse Bay surrounding the peninsula on three sides, the climate is especially favorable for making crisp, flavorful whites.
And it’s a spectacular place to visit. Winding up M-37 out of Traverse City the views are stunning. The road rides atop the spine of a ridge that climbs from the base of the peninsula to its center then gradually back down to the water at its tip.

The first opportunity to sample the peninsula’s wines is at the Black Star Farms (www.blackstarfarms.com ) tasting room. We have always been impressed with this producer’s wines, and a recent taste of the Black Star Farms Pinot Gris "Arcturos," 2008, didn’t disappoint. Very pale, almost colorless and highly aromatic, it exudes lush, ripe peaches and melon with a subtle rose petal undercurrent.

Peninsula Cellars (www.peninsulacellars.com ) is one of the smallest and prettiest of the wineries. Housed in an 1896 schoolhouse, it has a cozy tasting room still sporting the original floor, windows and slate boards. Among the many wines produced here are a classic-tasting Gewurztraminer and a delicious white cherry wine.

Chateau Grand Traverse (www.cgtwines.com ), the oldest winery on the peninsula, is farther north, perched high on the ridge affording panoramic views of vineyards, orchards and water. The large tasting room offers an astounding variety of wines from dry table wines to sweet dessert and fruit wines. On our past visits, we preferred the whites, our favorites being Ship of Fools, a blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay; and 2006 Edelzwicker, an Alsatian-style off-dry blend of Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Muscat.

One of the newer wineries, Brys Estate (www.brysestate.com ), is approached by a driveway off a side road that winds back to a beautiful property with a charming tasting room and meticulously groomed vines. Most of the vines produce white wines, though the winery has planted Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. We recently tasted Brys Estate Naked Chardonnay, 2008, which was bursting with rich tropical flavors of passion fruit and mango followed by a crisp, refreshing finish.

The showcase on Old Mission is without question Chateau Chantal (www.chateauchantal.com ), perched atop the ridge and built to resemble a French estate. The popular winery also doubles as a luxury bed and breakfast. Chateau Chantal makes both white and red wines as well as a delicious Cerise Cherry Port.

Bowers Harbor Vineyards (www.bowersharbor.com ) is a family-owned winery that sits below the ridge near the water on the peninsula’s west side. They make some wonderful Riesling, as we were reminded of once again when we recently tasted the Bowers Harbor Vineyards Estate Riesling, 2008. Its lovely aroma of apple, pear and minerals follows through with bright, lush fruit, great balance and refreshing crispness.

2 Lads (www.2LWinery.com ), a relative newcomer on the peninsula, is also a literal eye opener.
In a 19th century landscape, this winery is strictly 21st - a rectangular structure of concrete, glass, steel and corrugated metal with a spectacular view of the water. Inside, more modernity - a poured concrete tasting bar and boldly painted walls.

The winery makes Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Riesling and sparkling wine as well as some reds. The 2 Lads Cabernet Franc, 2008, is fragrant with smoky cherries and a note of chocolate and brambles. Tart, juicy and mouthwatering, it begs for fall barbecue.

-Donna Marchetti

For more information about the wineries of the Old Mission Peninsula, visit www.wineriesofoldmission.com

Copyright © 2010 TheWineBuzz®. The information contained herein may not be published or otherwise distributed without the prior written permission of TheWineBuzz®.