Paper Chef: Shrimp in Brandy Cream Sauce

This month's Paper Chef challenge was to use rice, brandy, blood orange, and crustaceans in a dish. I scoured several grocery stores in my area, but I guess blood oranges haven't made their way to New Jersey yet. I settled for a Satsuma orange. For the crustacean requirement, I decided to pick shrimp since I haven't had them for a while. What came together was a shrimp in brandy cream sauce over orange-scented rice. And let me tell you, it was fantastic.

Shrimp in Brandy Cream Sauce

1 lb extra large shrimp, uncooked, shells reserved

6 cups water

4 tbsp butter

2 large shallots, finely chopped

3 tsp flour

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1/2 cup brandy

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cup medium grain rice, washed

1 satsuma orange

Salt and pepper

Pull shells off of shrimp and put in a large pot with 4 cups of water. Boil shells for at least half an hour to form a shrimp stock. Strain stock of shells and set aside.

Melt 3 tbsp of butter in a 12" skillet. Add chopped shallots, and saute for approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle shallots with flour and Old Bay seasoning, and mix in with wooden spoon. Add two cups of reserved shrimp stock; stir to combine. Heat mixture over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Simmer mixture until it is reduced by half. Add brandy. Brandy may be flamed off or simmered off. Add cream, and simmer gently until sauce is thickened.

In a separate pot, add washed rice, remaining 2 cups of water, and the peel of the satsuma orange. Reserve the pulp and juice. Bring rice to a boil, and cook according to package instructions until done. Remove peel. Crush orange pulp and pour the juice into the cooked rice. Fluff with a fork to distribute the juice.

Once sauce has thickened, add shrimp and remaining 1 tbsp butter to saucepan. Simmer for five more minutes, or until shrimp are pink. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the shrimp over the orange rice. Garnish with parsley, if desired.