Bacon-Wrapped Gulf Shrimp with Creamy White Cheddar Grits & Tomato Jam

• 1

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

• 2

  It is best to prepare the grits first. While the grits are cooking, begin the tomato jam and then the bacon for the shrimp.

• 3

  The longer the grits cook, the creamier they become.

for the grits:

• 1

  In a large, heavy saucepan bring the water to a boil. Add a generous teaspoon of salt and the grits and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. When the grits thicken, add the milk, cream and butter and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the saucepan and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the grits are tender, smooth and creamy. Taste and season the grits with the remaining salt and pepper. (If the grits seem too runny simply allow to cook a bit longer, uncovered and stirring frequently, until the desired consistency is reached.) Fold the cheese into the grits, and keep covered and warm until ready to use.

• 2

  The recipe makes a lot more grits than needed, but they reheat very well for breakfast.

for the tomato jam:

• 1

  Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

• 2

  My family did not care for the sweet and tangy taste of the tomato jam so the next time I diced 3 Roma tomatoes and tossed them with coriander and a splash of Balsamic vinegar. I do not heat this mixture - just serve over the grits and shrimp. The cool fresh tomatoes with the grits are really a taste treat.

for the shrimp:

• 1

  Cut 2 inches off of each strip of bacon and reserve the short pieces for another use. Place the trimmed strips of bacon on a sheet pan and bake the bacon until slightly pink and some of the fat has rendered out of it, about 6 minutes. While the bacon is cooking, peel the shrimp, leaving the tails attached. Devein and set aside, refrigerated, until ready to use.

• 2

  Set a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat, and add the olive oil to the pan. Once the oil is hot, lay the shrimp in the pan and cook for 2 1/2 minutes. Turn the shrimp over and cook another 2 1/2 minutes.

• 3

  Remove the pan from the oven and allow the bacon to cool. Once the bacon is cool enough to handle, season the shrimp with the Essence and wrap a strip of the parcooked bacon around each shrimp, slightly overlapping the bacon as you twist it around the shrimp. Set aside and repeat with the remaining shrimp and bacon slices.

• 4

  I do not leave the tails on the shrimp. I cut the bacon in half and wrapped each shrimp with one piece of bacon. I did pre-cook the bacon in the oven until slightly pink, but I did not think my family would like the soft bacon, so after cooking the shrimp for 2 minutes on each side until slightly pink, I wrapped the shrimp and returned them to the hot pan until the bacon crisps and then flip to crisp the other side. It did take a little longer than I expected to crisp the bacon, but that kept the bacon from falling off the shrimp.

• 5

  Serve the shrimp over the top of Cheesy Grits and garnish with Fried Spinach. Drizzle the Tomato Jam decoratively over each plate.

• 6

  I never made the fried spinach, but the recipe was to just dip fresh spinach into hot oil until crisp.