Shrimp and Grits

Happily, the primal rhythms of the sea persist regardless of the wild and woolly weather on shore.  Move over Beaujolais Nouveau, ripe peaches, and white truffles...it's native shrimp season here in New England. The season is short and you have to grab them while you can.  This little sign goes up at the end of the Sanders Lobster Pier when the shrimp come in

and they take it down when they sell out. Sanders will even Tweet you when a shipment arrives. 

These are small wild shrimp fished from the gulf of Maine.  No pollutants, hormones, or heavy metals.  Small shrimp seem to lend themselves to certain dishes like chowders and gumbos, pastas, and Asian and Indian foods. I'm going to make Shrimp and Cheddar Grits, inspired by a dish I've had while visiting my Dad and Kathy in North Carolina.  It's on the menu of a little outdoor cafe called the Wine Garden at The Old Edwards Inn and Spa in Highlands.

We go there every time we visit, sometimes more than once.  Their recipe is so rich that I always go home with leftovers. 
I'll try to recreate it using versions from Bobby Flay and Paula Deen as guides.  I also checked out Emeril and Williams Sonoma. 
Grits is a porridge-like dish made from coarsely ground corn.  It's a lot like polenta, only grits usually has a thinner consistency, and is often made from white rather than yellow corn.  My store only had yellow grits---yellow will be fine.
Grits can be cooked with stock, milk, or water.  I'm using water.  I'll cook one cup of grits with three cups of water and a pinch of salt.  I'll add in about a cup of grated sharp Vermont Cheddar at the end.
In another pan I'll saute some Black Forest ham, cut in small cubes, and a thinly sliced shallot in some butter and a little olive oil,  Then I'll add in some diced red bell pepper (about 2/3 cup) and saute for a few minutes. Then 1 lb of shrimp and a few sliced green onions goes in the pan and cooks just a minute or two until done.

Remove everything from the pan and set aside while you start the grits.

When the grits are almost done, add a good splash of dry white wine or dry sherry to the pan you cooked the shrimp in.  Let it deglaze the pan, reduce, and then add about 1/2 cup heavy cream and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. 

Let it reduce and thicken a bit.  Add the shrimp etc. back into the pan, season with salt, pepper and fresh parsley, and heat through. 
Ladle your grits into bowls, and top with the shrimp mixture. 

This photo doesn't do it justice.  It was really great.