Shrimp and a Tease

I have a recipe I'm dying to share. It had one step that took a little patience, but I consider it a new go-to bar. It may involve milk caramel, candied peanuts, and a hefty layer of melted chocolate. It might even have a rich shortbread-like crust that resembles the cookie inside of a Twix bar. Dorie Greenspan is my new hero; I need to meet her and thank her and eat something luscious with her. She's on a book tour right now, but since there are no bookstores within 40 miles of Galesburg, I don't think she'll be coming here.

In other food news, my just-for-one version of Mark Bittman's Shrimp My Way were perfect for a quick, light, delicious dinner tonight. Seriously easy and delicious.

Quick Broiled Shrimp

adapted from Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything

serves 1

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced thin

1/2 pound large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Place oven rack as close to broiler as possible; heat broiler on high. Pour enough oil to just barely cover the bottom of an ovenproof pan; for your health, I recommend a fairly small pan. Heat over low heat; we're talking gentle heat here, no sizzle and sputter. Add garlic and cook gently for a few minutes; the idea is to infuse the oil, not fry the garlic. Add shrimp, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir with wooden spoon or toss to coat. Cook 1 minute, then throw that puppy under the broiler. Check after 2 minutes and toss, if necessary. Cook under broiler until shrimp is pink and cooked, about 5 minutes (longer if you make more.)

**Note: I bought easy peel shrimp—raw, but slit down the back and already deveined. Those ones you just peel the whole shell off, including legs, and squeeze off the tail. It turns out that only half of them were actually easy peel, so I quickly used my kitchen shears to cut down the back, remove the shell, and pull out the intestinal track. Don't be afraid of uncooked shrimp (except you, Michelle, because you could die.)