Ever get really excited about something you've seen,
done, OR cooked?  Well today I did.  I was excited by something I cooked and wanted to share it with all of you...but,  things
like work, and shopping, and getting the kids to gymnastics, and going to their Science Fair, and coming home to work on
rentals for the beach house, all seemed to get in the way of my sharing my fun and joy with you.  So, at 10:52pm, with one
eye open I am ready to blog.  A few factors managed to come together to produce today's dish, a Marinated Grilled
Shrimp over a pool of Thai Influenced Coconut and Shallot sauce, with crispy shallots and Sriracha sauce to gild this
lily.  One factor was the Indochine-like day of tropical weather we had here at the Jersey Shore.  Another one, the sub-
liminal one I think, were pictures posted on a Facebook page by Robert Dahni, chef, Southeast Asian sage, and 
author of the book  SOUTHEAST ASIAN FLAVORS  (http://southeastasianflavors.com/index.php )  which has won
accolades from all over the culinary world. His pictures, especially of the water markets in Vietnam, of Thailand make me
want to book the first flight out of JFK and spend months over there.  I've been as close as 120 miles from the Vietnamese
border in China, but didn't get into "Southeast Asia", yet that is...  If you enjoy that area of the world and want to try  out
some awesome recipes, get the book. 

      Our clematis is blooming on a gate arbor in the yard (I wonder if that's where the deer tick that just bit me came from?)
and it looks more like a tropical plant to me, so, I included it in my "photo shoot" of the finished dish.  Don't you think
tropical colors and flowers next to an enticing plate of Asian food make it even more delicious?  Blogfriends, it's those
little touches that take your table and food from everyday to once in a lifetime...go out into your gardens now that most of
the world is in bloom...without much effort you will make a simple meal and special memory.  Ok, before I fall off into
the vat of Hallmark cheese that awaits me, let's make a Thai flavored shrimp dish with some key ingredients that are
part of the Southeast Asian pantry.

This shrimp dish begins with shrimp, duh...2 lbs. of 16-20's, they grill nicely.  Peel and devein them.  Rinse with
lots of cold water then pat them dry with paper towels (IMPORTANT IMPORTANT, the more moisture you remove,
the better they will grill, esp. since you are going to lightly marinate them).  Whisk 2 tsps. good dark brewed soy
sauce, 1 tsp. fresh lime juice, some sea salt, white pepper..and set aside for 20 minutes.  In a large skillet,
heat 2 tbs. of butter and saute 2 thinly sliced shallots stirring frequently for 8 minutes.




Open a can of UNSWEETENED coconut milk, shaken well, and add 3/4 of it to the pan, mix well, add some salt and
white pepper..add 2 tbs. of chopped cilantro (or flat leaf parsley and basil), 1/2 tsp. of Sriracha sauce, 1 small Thai
Chile, thinly sliced, a 1 inch piece of lime zest, juice of 1 lime, 1 tsp. of Vietnamese Fish sauce, 1/2 tsp. of good curry
powder..stir, bring to a low boil then to a simmer and let this reduce for 20 mintues.  You will be rewarded with a
silky, exotic and velvety sauce that should be less than 1/2 it's original volume.  Reducing sauces, if you haven't done
that may seem daunting and something only a 5 star chef can handle, but it is only evaporating the water out of
a sauce and concentrating the flavors.  CONCENTRATING, taking the ordinary to the extraordinary....without much
work, except using that toughest of virtues...patience.... or, as my mother would say in Napoletana dialect,  Pazeenzia..
Oh, before I forget, add a stalk of lemongrass..or a piece of lemon zest..





  That is the above pan of sauce after it's reduction.
Kitchen magic...Set this off to the side..we have some more fun in store.  In a small pan heat 1 tbs. of vegetable oil
and add 2 thinly sliced shallots to the pan.  Watch this, making sure you let the shallots get crispy and brown, not
brittle and burnt.  Takes about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.



  Let the oil cool and set the shallots to the side, these
are the textural component of the dish, you will garnish the finished plate with them.. This shower of crispy shallots
is found throught Southeast Asia, from breakfast dishes of noddles and eggs to seafood dishes like the one
we are making right now.  Have you jumped onto a travel website to book your trip yet????

After the oil has cooled, add the marinating shrimp to the pan.  Make sure all the shrimp gets a bath in this fragrant
oil.  Heat a grill to medium high and make sure you oil it well. 


Now grill the shrimp wihout crowding the grill, in batches if you have to, about 6 minutes for the first side, 4 minutes or less
for the second.  Tough call here are all grills are different..rule of thumb, they are done when the've curled into a C.  Remove
to a platter and cover.    Now gently reheat the sauce and on the individual plates, 8 in this case, add a pool of the sauce
to the center of the plate..then arrange 6 shrimp.  Sprinkle some chopped fresh parsley or cilantro over it, then a few
squirts of Sriracha sauce...then some of the shallots.
  A spectacular party dish for a BBQ,outside,
for 8 people or more, just increase the amounts.  Serve with lemon and lime slices, and a bowl of Jasmine rice..all
those fragrances...Middle Eastern, North African, Indian, and Asian cuisines all share that common thread, the
spice route legacy...intoxicating aromas that just make eating fun...since we have to eat, it should be fun....visit
Thailand some night in your backyard or on your balcony...