Chef Gordon's Kitchen: Sea Island Shrimp; Balsamic Glazed Strawberries

Sea Island Shrimp with Southern Style Grits 

Cook grits according to the package directions. When they are finished, whisk in all of the other ingredients. Keep warm.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until it is browned. Remove from the heat and strain, reserving a small amount of the fat. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add about 2 T. bacon fat to the olive oil. Add the shrimp to the pan, lightly salt and pepper the shrimp immediately. Stir in the minced garlic and the bacon bits, stirring constantly. Add wine and lemon juice and stir until everything is well coated and mixed together. Add the sliced scallions and continue cooking and stirring for about 20 to 30 seconds. Serve the shrimp mixture over the cheese grits.

(Notes: The shrimp can be served over rice or noodles instead of grits. Microwave the lemon for about 15 seconds before juicing it...it will yield a higher amount of juice. Other types of cheese can be used in the grits, and they can be prepared ahead of time and kept warm, or even re-heated. )

Serve the shrimp and grits with a garden salad dressed with a creamy bleu cheese dressing or a ranch style dressing. Some crusty bread or dinner rolls would be great, too. A semi-sweet Riesling would be the perfect wine to serve with this dish as it can hold up well to the spiciness of the shrimp. This would also be fantastic with an icy cold beer! Serve the following recipe for dessert, put on some Carolina shag music and you'll have a Low Country dinner party that's sure to impress your friends and family!  

Balsamic Glazed Strawberries with Angel Food Cake and Creme de Cassis 

Melt butter in medium saute pan over medium heat. Stir in vanilla bean, brown sugar, vinegar and red wine and bring to a simmer. Add the strawberries and continue to simmer until berries are softened just a bit, about five minutes.

Place medium sized mixing bowl and beaters into freezer until thoroughly chilled. Place heavy cream into bowl and then beat on high speed until cream just starts to thicken. Add the sugar and the liqueur to the cream and continue beating until soft peeks form. Keep chilled.

Place a slice of Angel Food cake onto a plate and top with glazed strawberries with some of the sauce and then top with the whipped cream.

(Note: The strawberries can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated. Slowly warm them over a very low heat until ready to serve. Pound cake can be substituted for the Angel Food cake, or vanilla ice cream can be used instead of cake. Chambord or Grand Marnier can be used instead of Creme de Cassis.)

Serve with brut champagne or French Roast coffee.  

Chef Gordon Holmes is a Cast Member at Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort where he has worked since the resort's opening in 1996. Since 2003 he has also worked as an Executive Chef and restaurant consultant. Previous stop include prestigous restaurants in New York City, New Orleans and Nemours (France).  Chef Gordon can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..