Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

          Hello weekend! Sacramento can’t decide if it wants to be hot or cool right now. But the weather has been cooperating gloriously recently, with lots of sun, perfect for relaxing on the patio with tortilla chips or saltines and some coctel de camarones, or Mexican shrimp cocktail. I love this version of shrimp cocktail, it’s sort of like a virgin bloody mary with cucumber, celery, red onions, avocados and lots of shrimp. Perfect for dipping, or eating with a spoon. Or picking out the shrimp pieces with a fork, then the avocado pieces, and then eating the rest with a spoon as if it were gazpacho. Enjoy!

 Recipe :

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 15 minutes

If it's tomato season, use freshly chopped tomatoes with their juices, instead of the canned tomatoes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound medium shrimp, raw or cooked
• Salt
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 1 cup peeled, diced cucumber
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 15-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped OR 1 1/2 cups of freshly chopped tomatoes with their juices
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• Juice of a lime, about 2 Tbsp
• Hot sauce (like Crystal or Tabasco) to taste (about 1 Tbsp to 1/4 cup of Crystal)
• 1 avocado, cut into chunks

METHOD

1 If you have pre-cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp you can skip to the next step. If you are working with raw shrimp, peel and devein them. If you have a little extra time and want your shrimp to be extra good, put the shells in 1 1/2 quarts of cool salted water, bring to a boil, then strain the shell stock into a separate pot and cook the shrimp in that liquid. If you want to skip that step, just bring a medium pot salted water to a boil (a tbsp salt for 2 quarts of water), add the shrimp, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until just cooked through. Reserve a cup of the cooking water and chill it.

2 Cut half of the shrimp into large chunks, leaving the other half whole (for a more attractive presentation). Put the chopped shrimp in a bowl with the chopped onions, cucumber, celery, jalapeno, tomatoes, ketchup, cilantro, lime juice and hot sauce. Gently stir to combine, and chill. Once the cooking water has cooled at least to room temperature, add a little at a time to the shrimp cocktail, until the shrimp cocktail is the consistency you want (we like ours a little on the soupy side).

3 To serve, add salt and more hot sauce to taste and gently mix in the chopped avocados. Dip the whole shrimp in the cocktail and arrange them on top. Serve in parfait glasses or in small bowls with tortilla chips on the side.

Yield: Serves 4-6.

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Mocha Brownies with Coffee Frosting

Mocha Brownies with Coffee Frosting

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 15 Minutes Servings: 48

"Moist and very chocolaty brownies have a coffee frosting for a sophisticated version of the beloved treat."

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup shortening 1/2 cup butter 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 cups white sugar 4 teaspoons instant coffee granules, or more to taste 1 tablespoon hot water 4 large eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon salt Frosting: 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups confectioners' sugar 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules 1 1/2 tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
2.	Melt shortening and 1/2 cup butter in a small pan over low heat; pour melted mixture into a mixing bowl. Stir cocoa into butter mixture until well combined, followed by sugar. Dissolve 4 teaspoons instant coffee with hot water in a small bowl; stir into cocoa mixture. Whisk eggs into batter, one at a time, beating each egg in thoroughly before adding the next. Stir flour, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and salt into batter just until moist. Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
3.	Bake brownies in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely.
4.	Beat 1/2 cup softened butter with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a bowl. Add confectioners' sugar to mixture and beat until creamy using an electric mixer on medium speed. Dissolve 1 tablespoon instant coffee with milk in a small bowl; add to frosting. Increase mixer speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Frost cooled brownies.

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