The Cold kitchen

     Usually the first place that an apprentice works in a kitchen is the Pantry. In the Brigade system the pantry is call Garde Manger or the cold kitchen. I suspect that they put us there so that we can do little to harm business there. There are few ways that you can mess up a salad unless you let a waiter prepare it. For the next few entries I will be concentrating on Pantry. Today I want to start with a staple to most restaurants.

Tiger Shrimp Cocktail with Orange Dressed Field Greens

Tiger Shrimp                                             12 ea. Peeled and Deveined

Field Greens                                               8 oz.  By Measure 

Lemon Wedge                                            8 ea.
Shaved Red Onion                                      8       Slices 
Crustini                                                      8 ea.

Orange Vinaigrette                                              Recipe Follows

Cocktail Sauce                                                     Recipe Follows

Poaching Liquid for the Shrimp

White Wine                                                1 cup

Old Bay Seasoning                                     1 Tbl. 

Black Peppercorns                                     12 ea.

Bay Leaf                                                     1 ea. 

Water                                                          2 quarts

Combine the water, wine, Old bay, Bay leaf and peppercorns in a sauce pan. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Peel the shells off of the shrimp leaving the last joint and tail sections. Run the tip of a paring knife along the back of each shrimp to expose the vein. Remove the vein from the shrimp.Add the shrimp to the poaching liquid and cook until the shrimp are opaque and pink in color, about five minutes. Submerge the shrimp into ice water to stop the cooking process. Set aside for plating. Chill the shrimp for service.

Orange Vinaigrette 

Orange Juice                                             4 oz.

Lime Juice                                                 2 Tbl.
Honey                                                        1 Tbl.
Vegetable Oil                                             2 oz. 
Salt and Pepper                                            As Needed

     In a mixing bowl combine the orange juice, lime juice, and the honey. Slowly whisk the oil
 into the orange mixture. Adjust the seasoning.

Cocktail Sauce

Chili Sauce                                                  1/2 cup

Ketchup                                                       1/2 cup

Prepared Horseradish                                  1 oz.

Lemon Juice                                                2 tsp.

Tobasco Sauce                                                 Dash

Salt                                                                   As Needed   

Cracked Pepper                                                As Needed

Combine all of the ingredient in a mixing bowl. Mix until well blended. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until you use the sauce.         

For Plating

On a chilled nine inch salad plate Place two of the crustini overlapped on the center of the plate. Dress the field greens and shaved onions with the orange vinaigrette and place a small amount of the greens on the edge of the crustini. Arrange four of the shrimp around the front of the greens. Take a small pinch of cracked pepper and garnish the plate. Serve with cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.

Makes 4 Servings