I was reading "Sarabeth's Good Morning Cookbook" by Sarabeth Levine and came across her recipe for Hot Cereal Soufflés which started me thinking; why not a southern version made with cheese grits? But why stop there? Here in the south we love pies so why not a soufflé pie? In her version she makes a sweet soufflé with jam on the bottom but I like savory so I added some pancetta for flavor. Maybe I can make a version with a savory Shrimp Etouffé at the bottom for a surprise. My point is that inspiration can springboard from other chef's recipes so read through your old cookbook library leaving your mind open to new possibilities or in this case a new addition to your library.

Ingredients:

 1 cup stone ground premium white grits

 2 cups milk

 2 cups water

 1 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese

 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

 1 cup diced Veleeta cheese

 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

 salt

 4 ounces diced pancetta

 3 eggs separated

 pinch of cream of tarter

 1 deep dish pie shell

 extra parmesan and finely grated sharp cheddar to sprinkle on top and bottom of pie shell

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add the butter to a large sauce pan and the grits and toast on medium heat for 10 minutes.

2. Add the milk and water to the sauce pan and bring to a boil while stirring with a whisk. Continue cooking until grits soften (about 30 minutes) adding more water if needed.

3. Sauté pancetta in separate skillet until crisp and drain on paper towels while grits soften. 

4. Grate and dice the cheeses and add to grits while stirring. You can optionally add extra butter to make creamier grits. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add water to achieve proper consistency and take off heat. Stir in the pancetta into the grits.

5, Sprinkle some cheese into the bottom of the pie crust and bake in oven until the cheese melts. This will help the pie crust stay crisp.

6. Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks with a tablespoon of milk and whisk into the grits. In a clean bowl whip the egg whites with a pinch of cream of tarter until glossy and stiff peaks form. Using a spatula fold one quarter of the egg whites into the grits mixture. Fold the grits mixture gently into the remaining egg whites until mixed. Fill the pie shell with the mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Cook until the pie crust is golden and the filling has risen and browned (20 to 30 minutes). Serve immediately and enjoy.

When I make risotto I usually make extra to make one of my favorite appetizers, Arancini Di Risa (fried risotto balls) the next day. They always are a hit at any party. When I started looking at way to utilize grits; and in particular shrimp and grits. I started thinking in the back of my mind about these lovely golden fried balls that I stuff with a piece of cheese. Why not encase a piece of shrimp in flavorful cheese grits? Better yet, for anyone that doesn't like shrimp we could use pieces of sausage or cheese. I could pair these with a savory cajun style or traditional shrimp sauce. I will leave that up to you. Remember you need to cook your grits with less
liquid and let it cool completely to let the starch set up. That will enable the balls to stick together while frying.


Ingredients:

For the cheese grits - 

  2 cups stone ground premium white grits

  1 1/2 cup chicken broth

  1 1/2 cup milk

  water to achieve proper consistency

  1 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese

  1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

  1 cup grated fontina cheese

  2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

  salt 

For the breading station - 

  1 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper

  2 eggs beaten

  1 cup Panko bread crumbs

 
Directions:

1. Add the butter to a large sauce pan and the grits and toast on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth and milk to the sauce pan and bring to a boil while stirring with a whisk and continue cooking until grits soften (about 15 minutes). Grate the cheeses and add while stirring, season with salt to taste and add water to achieve proper consistency. Let cool. Note: we want a fairly stiff mixture.

2. Clean and devein the shrimp. Cook the shrimp in their shell. Peel and remove the shells then dice into one half to three quarter inch pieces. If you are using sausage, brown the sausage and cut into pieces.

3. Using a small scoop, scoop out some of the grits mixture. using your finger make a hole in the mix and insert the filling. Gather up the mixture to encase the filling and form into a ball.

4. Create a standard breading station, with one container of seasoned flower, one of beaten egg and one of bread crumbs. I prefer Panko Japanese crumbs.

5. Heat up oil for deep frying to 350 degrees F. Roll the balls in the flour shaking of any excess, then in the beaten egg then roll in the bread crumbs. deep fry until golden brown and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with or without a sauce.

Since I tackled Southern style cheese grits I have looked forward to creating my own version of Shrimp and Grits. I also wanted to talk through my thought process as this dish comes together. My starting place was to mimic Susan's Breakfast Oatmeal but use cheese grits instead of the oatmeal and a shrimp filling. I researched traditional Georgia style shrimp and grits and decided to use smoked sausage, sweet peppers and onion with a sauce. I found a Ukrainian style smoked Kubasa instead of the traditional Andouille but you could substitute a polish smoked sausage. If I fried the sausage I could render out some of the tasty fat in which I could fry the shrimp, peppers and onions. Adding some flour would make a roux that I could flavor with white wine, lemon juice and stock. To keep our shrimp moist we need to brine them, then sauté in the shells to add more shrimp flavor (the shells are packed with flavor). White wine and lemon may not be traditional but pairs great with the shrimp. I presented three different possible grits platforms but you could just use a pile of cheese grits to simplify. The three possible platforms are a mini pie pan, an egg mold and a mini spring form pan. You can try any or find your own. If you are going to use some sort of mold or container, you will need to make a stiffer grit mixture in order for it to retain its shape. Good luck and happy cooking!

Ingredients:

For the cheese grits - 

  2 cups stone ground premium white grits

  1 1/2 cup chicken broth

  1 1/2 cup milk

  water to achieve proper consistency

  1 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese

  1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

  1 cup grated fontina cheese

  2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

  salt 

For the shrimp mixture - 

  1 pound large shell on raw gulf shrimp

  1/2 pound good quality Ukrainian smoked sausage

  1 1/2 cup chicken broth

  1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

  1 cup white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc

  1 cup diced peppers (mixture of red, yellow and poblano)

  1/2 medium onion diced

  2 cloves garlic chopped

  1 lemon

  4 Tbsp. butter plus extra to butter the molds

  2 Tbsp. flour

 
Directions:

1. Add the butter to a large sauce pan and the grits and toast on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth and milk to the sauce pan and bring to a boil while stirring with a whisk and continue cooking until grits soften (about 15 minutes). Grate the cheeses and add while stirring, season with salt to taste and add water to achieve proper consistency. Let cool. Note: we want a fairly stiff mixture.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter the molds and sprinkle the molds with the grated parmesan. Press the
cooled grits into the molds and up the sides. Bake for 30 minutes.

3. Clean and devein the shrimp. Dice the sausage and sauté with half the butter until the fat begins to render. Add the onions, garlic and peppers and sauté until the onion is translucent. Remove the mixture to a bowl and add the shrimp to sauté until pink. Remove the shrimp and add the sausage mixture back with the flour and butter. Stir until a roux comes together then add the wine and stock to deglaze. Reduce by one half. Peel the shrimp, chop into large pieces reserving some for garnish. Add to the sausage pepper mixture and reduce to the required consistency.  

4. Spoon the shrimp mixture into the molds and sprinkle with some parmesan. Garnish with the reserved shell-on shrimp and return to  the oven to heat through then serve.