Italian-Fusion: Shrimp e Pane Tostato

My wife bought 4 pounds of shrimp on sale and challenged me to be creative, so I started to thumb through some cookbooks. What I found was a traditional southern dish that originated in Louisville Kentucky called Shrimp Hot Brown. In my quest to give Americas’ favorite dishes an Italian flair I took this hot open faced sandwich and changed the spices and the cheese to give it some bravissimo. What I came up with was garlic shrimp on a bed of toast smothered with a savory béchamel sauce topped with a slice of tomato, melted Fontina and Gorgonzola cheeses and crowned with crumbled bacon. It may structurally look like Hot Brown but the taste has definitely been elevated adding a depth and richness to something that can sometimes be bland.

Makes 2-4 Servings

4 slices Bacon (cooked & crumbled) *

4 slices Sandwich Bread (toasted) *

2 cloves Garlic (minced)

¾ lb. unpeeled medium shrimp (peeled and deveined)

4 TBS Unsalted Butter

3 TBS All-Purpose Flour

1 ½ C Whole Milk

2 tsp Dried Parsley

1 Tsp Dried Basil

Table Salt

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

¾ C Shredded Fontina Cheese *

¼ C Shredded Gorgonzola Cheese *

1 ripe Tomato

Preheat oven to 450°C. Clean and devein the shrimp (make sure you remove the tail). Shred the cheese. Lightly toast the bread until golden brown.

Cook the bacon in a medium sized frying pan. Place the cooked bacon on paper towels to drain then crumble. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat and drain the pan. Wipe the pan with a paper towel then return the tablespoon of bacon fat to the pan along with 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter. Heat until the butter foams then add the garlic and the cleaned and deveined shrimp. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink, stirring frequently. Remove the shrimp to a bowl.

In the same saucepan, add 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Once the butter is melted add the 3 tablespoons of flour and stir until smooth. Continue to stir for 1 minute to cook the flour. Add 1 ½ cups of milk and bring up to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to cook until the sauce has thickened. Add 2 teaspoons of dried parsley and one teaspoon of dried basil to the sauce. Taste then add salt and pepper.

Place the 4 slices of toast on an oven proof dish. Top evenly with the shrimp. Spoon the sauce over the shrimp. Top each with a slice of tomato and the shredded Fontina and Gorgonzola. Bake, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.