Shrimp Quenelles and the Weekly Menu #Movies&Munchies

Our Movies and Munchies group decided to revisit the film, Julie and Julia.  Count me in.  It's a good movie, it has a ton of food inspiration, and it encourages me to pull out my copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child.

A few of us diehard bloggers, leftover from Food n Flix, got together to continue our journey of watching films and sharing the recipes we were inspired to make.  Camilla of Culinary Cam, recently rewatched Julie and Julia and invited us to join her.

For Christmas 2009, our daughter, Jessica, gifted me this film and cookbook.  I have watched the film several times and use the cookbook frequently.   I have shared Eggplant Pizzas, Suprèmes de Volaille à l'Écossaise, Pipérade,Chou-Fleur à la Mornay Gratine, Suprêmes de Volaille à la Milanaise, Suprêmes de Volaille aux Champignons, Quiche Lorraine au Fromage de Gruyère.

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If you have not seen the movie Julie and Julia, it follows the life of Julie Powell, a young woman living in New York, who decides to blog her journey as she cooks through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  Her goal is 524 recipes in 365 days.

The film swings between Julie, played by Amy Adams, and Julia, played by Meryl Streep, as it intertwines their stories.  I love this film.

For today's event, I pulled out my Mastering the Art of French Cooking and looked for a recipe that used cooked shrimp, since I had 3 lbs I bought for a Christmas gathering that got canceled when Santa brought me the flu.

I landed on Gratin de Quenelles de Crustaces.  That's Shrimp Quenelles in a White Wine Sauce for those who are not fluent in French.

This recipe is perfect for entertaining as it can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to a few days.  Julia has variations of this recipe using fish, shellfish, veal, and poultry.  The method is the same for each.

I paired this dish with a lovely French Wine that I will be featuring in a post next month.  This is a perfect Valentine's Day Dinner, if you, like I, choose to stay in on February 14th and leave the restaurants to the crowds.

Not that I have an aversion to restaurants; I have 2 lunch dates and a dinner date this week.  It's just that, being retired, I can visit restaurants whenever I want, so I choose days that are not overly crowded.  

There's not much else going on this week.  I'll go to my exercise classes each morning and Frank is still tending the scuba shop.  Here's what's on the menu......

Soup Saturday

Turkey Wild Rice Soup

Sunday Supper

Roast Chicken and Dressing

Mashed Potatoes

Buttered Corn

Meatless Monday

Avocado Toast with Poached Eggs

Taco Tuesday

Burrito Bowls (using leftover chicken from Sunday)

Wok Wednesday

Dumplings

Vegetable Fried Rice

Thursday

Out for dinner with Ceyzeks

Fish Friday

Pan Fried Perch

Sweet Potato Fries

Cole Slaw

Shrimp, Seafood, Bechamel, Creamy, Casserole

Entrees, Shrimp

French

Yield: 8 servings

Author: Wendy Klik

Shrimp Quenelles in White Cream Sauce

Light and fluffy French dumplings, poached, covered in bechamel sauce, and gratineed.

Prep time: 40 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 H & 25 M

Ingredients

Shrimp Quenelles

• 1 c. water
• pinch of salt
• 4 T. butter
• 3/4 c. flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 2 1/2 c. cooked shrimp
• salt and white pepper, to taste
• 1/4 - 1/2 c. heavy cream

• Place the water, salt, and butter into a heavy saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.
• As soon as the butter melts, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour, all at once, beating with a wooden spoon or spatula.
• Reduce the burner heat to medium heat, return the pan to the burner, and cook, stirring until the mixture forms a mass.
• Off heat, mix in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the egg whites. Set the pan into a container of ice water and stir until cooled. Leave the pan in the ice water while you prepare the shrimp.
• Place the shrimp into the bowl of a food processor, season with salt and pepper. Add the chilled pate a choux and 1/4 c. of the cream. Process for about 30 seconds, scraping the bowl if necessary, and adding more cream, 1 Tablespoon at a time, if needed. You want the mixture to hold its shape in the bowl of a spoon.
• Bring a large skillet filled with salt water to a simmer. Place 2 spoons into a glass of ice water. Scoop out a rounded mass of the shrimp mixture onto one of the spoons. Use the second wet spoon to smooth the top, then slip underneath the mixture to drop it into the barely simmering water. Wet the spoons between each quenelle, then poach them, in batches, for 15-20 minutes. They should be about doubled in size and roll over easily.
• If not using immediately, the quenelles can be arranged in a lightly buttered dish, brushed with melted butter, and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Bechamel Sauce

• 6 T. butter, divided
• 7 T. flour
• salt and white pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 c. boiling milk
• 1/2 c. white wine
• 1 c. boiling fish stock or clam juice
• 3/4 - 1 c. heavy cream
• juice of half a lemon
• 3 T. grated Swiss Cheese

Instructions

1. Melt 4 Tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the flour, season with salt and white pepper, and cook, stirring until nutty smelling.
2. Stir in the wine, and then whisk in the hot milk and clam juice. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, for one minute.
3. Whisk in the cream, a little at a time, until the sauce is smooth and coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the lemon juice.
4. Pour 1/4" of sauce into a baking dish. Arrange the quenelles on top and then cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining Tablespoon of butter, cut into pea-sized pieces and the grated cheese.
5. Place under a broiler heated to 450* for about 15 minutes, until heated through and lightly browned.

Notes

Adapted from a recipe found in Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

442

Fat (grams)

30 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

18 g

Carbs (grams)

18 g

Fiber (grams)

1 g

Net carbs

18 g

Sugar (grams)

4 g

Protein (grams)

23 g

Sodium (milligrams)

457 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

241 mg

Similar Recipes

Baked Salmon with White Wine Sauce

Coquilles St. Jacques

Lobster Thermidor

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