From the menu of . . . Gabe’s Downtown, 104 W. Montgomery St., Villa Rica. 770-456-6026, www.gabesdowntown.com
Q. I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur of shrimp and grits. I have tried them from Husk and McCrady's in Charleston, S.C., to the Red Fish Grill and Brennan's in New Orleans and many points in between. But nowhere have I found this dish to be as good as at Gabe's Downtown in Villa Rica. I believe he uses a balsamic sauce that just sets his apart. Could you possibly get this recipe please? Thank you so much. -- John Shore, Carrollton
A. Blake Pittman, the manager for the front of the house at Gabe's Downtown, tells us that shrimp and grits is the most popular dish on the restaurant's menu. Cheddar cheese grits are topped with shrimp and sauced with lemon beurre blanc, a lemon-flavored butter sauce, then drizzled with balsamic gastrique, a reduction of sweetened, flavored balsamic vinegar.
Chef and owner Gabe Toups prepares the dish to order, and the shrimp can be served either grilled or fried in seasoned corn flour. We’ve provided the directions for grilled shrimp here. As is often the case, we’ve reduced the amount per serving from the restaurant’s generous portions.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you'd like to make at home? Tell us and we'll try to get it. We'll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can't answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put "From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
Gabe’s Downtown Shrimp and Grits
Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6
2 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and Creole seasoning to taste
2 cups quick grits
2 cups cheddar, shredded
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 shallot, quartered
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound peeled large shrimp
Lemon Beurre Blanc, see recipe
Chives and slivered red pepper, for garnish
In a large saucepan, bring water, cream, butter, salt and Creole seasoning to a boil. Stir in the grits and reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring regularly, 15 minutes, or until the grits reach a creamy consistency. Remove from heat and whisk in cheddar. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Keep warm.
While grits are cooking, in a small saucepan combine balsamic vinegar, shallot and brown sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce mixture by half, or until it coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, strain out shallots and set vinegar aside to cool.
When grits are ready, brush ridges of grill pan with vegetable oil and place over high heat. When pan is very hot, carefully arrange shrimp on grill pan and cook until pink on first side, about 2 minutes. Turn shrimp and cook until shrimp is opaque, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
Divide grits between six serving dishes and top with shrimp. Pour 1/4 cup Lemon Beurre Blanc over each dish and drizzle with reduced balsamic. Garnish with chives and red pepper, if desired.
Per serving, entire recipe: 913 calories (percent of calories from fat, 55), 33 grams protein, 74 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 57 grams fat (34 grams saturated), 287 milligrams cholesterol, 417 milligrams sodium.
Per serving, without Lemon Beurre Blanc: 718 calories (percent of calories from fat, 44), 32 grams protein, 42 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 36 grams fat (20 grams saturated), 219 milligrams cholesterol, 366 milligrams sodium.
Lemon Beurre Blanc
Hands on: 5 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Makes 1 1/2 cups
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, sliced 1/4-inch thick and kept cold
Salt
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine cream, lemon juice, hot sauce, basil and Creole seasoning and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue cooking until mixture reduces by half. Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter slices one at a time until all the butter has been incorporated. Keep just warm until ready to use.
Per 2-tablespoon serving: 137 calories (percent of calories from fat, 96), 1 gram protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace fiber, 15 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 48 milligrams cholesterol, 38 milligrams sodium.
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