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Marcona Almonds
Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp with Rosemary Cognac Sauce
Rice ∙ Roasted Asparagus
Raspberry Cream Tart with Chocolate Crust
The weekend of January 11th and 12th was freakishly warm in the Northeast – topping 70 degrees both days in our central Connecticut town. On Sunday we drove about a half hour south to the shore town of Madison, for a walk on the beach at Hammonasset State Park. At the shore it was cooler – in the 50s — and very breezy, but that didn’t stop the throngs of dog walkers, bird watchers, sunshine seekers, and even one lone surfer – in Connecticut, in January!
The warm weather must have been associated with a coastal storm somewhere, because the waters of Long Island Sound were more turbulent than we’d ever seen them. Usually as calm as a lake, the sound was foamy with breakers, smashing on the huge glacial boulders scattered all along the beach.
On the way there and back, we listened to a new mellow, indie playlist, ideal for driving through pale thin sunshine on a rare warm mid-winter day.
On Saturday, John had gone hiking and it was a stay-at-home day for me, puttering around the house. John doesn’t like to eat while he’s hiking so he came home in the late afternoon, starving, having eaten nothing all day but an apple. I gave him some Marcona almonds to munch on while I put the finishing touches on a raspberry tart I’d started making the day before. For the main dish, the simplest most elegant prosciutto-wrapped shrimp with rice and roasted asparagus.
The Game Plan
- Make the crust, cream filling and glaze for the tart early in the day, or the day before.
- About an hour and a half before dinner, top the tart with fresh raspberries and brush them with the glaze, then chill the tart until serving time.
- In the last hour before dinner, marinate the shrimp, make the rice, roast the asparagus, and cook the shrimp.
- For a detailed plan with step-by-step instructions and timing, click on the image below.
