Shrimp Salad in Puff Boats with Roasted Red & Yellow Tomato Coulis

I only went to the market to buy milk. But I came home with 2 pounds each of red and yellow tomatoes, some pea shoots, buckwheat sprouts, and shrimp. I forgot the milk.

I hate it when I do that. I'm so A.D.D. in supermarkets. The colors really sidetrack me. This is why people make lists. Stick to the list! I guess I was a little curious to see if tomatoes were starting to taste juicy again. I realize I didn't need to buy 4 pounds to answer that question.

The tomatoes were juicy (Hallelujah!). So I roasted them up with a whole bulb of garlic and puréed them separately to taste their differences. The yellow tomatoes were a bit milder in acid but just as flavorful as the red.

Originally I thought the roasted tomatoes would make great soup (they did, I'll post that next) but, I also thought they would make a nice rich coulis, a sauce made from puréed and strained vegetables or fruits. Which led to: tarragon shrimp salad in choux puff boats with my little shoots and sprouts, and a few swirls of red & yellow tomato coulis. Whoo-wee, that all sounds complicated doesn't it?

It's not, just a tad time consuming. Like I've got anything better to do on my days off – tax extension be damned! I've never used buckwheat sprouts before and they sure have an interesting flavor: a cross between sour grass and wheat grass. Sweet and sour. Pea shoots, on the other hand, taste exactly like pea shoots.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. If serving a crowd or in need of a dish to take to a party, the choux puff boat can be baked in a Springform 9" cheesecake pan and filled with any salad right before serving. Egg salad, chicken salad – whatever.

Then people can scoop it from the boat or cut wedges. As for the 4 pounds of roasted tomatoes all I can say is they have far more uses than just soup and coulis. They also make great pasta sauce, meat sauce, salsa base, or side dish when served whole. I've left the quantities in tact so you have room to experiment too! 

Shrimp Salad in Puff Boats with Roasted Red & Yellow Tomato Coulis Serves 4 Ingredients Roasted tomatoes:

2 pounds yellow tomatoes

2 pounds red tomatoes

1 yellow onion

1 medium shallot

1 cup chicken stock

2 small bay leaves

Olive oil

Tumeric

Salt & pepper

Shrimp salad:

3/4's pound bay shrimp

1 celery stalk, brunoised (finely chopped)

1 basket pea shoots

1 basket buckwheat sprouts

1 bunch tarragon

1 basket cherry tomatoes

1 Tablespoon mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon champagne vinegar

Choux Paste:

2/3rd's cup water

5 Tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3rd's cup flour

3 eggs

4 ramekin molds or 1 9"Springform Cheesecake pan

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Slice tomatoes in half top to bottom and place in a baking pan. Take one bulb of garlic (about 10 cloves) and break up. Scatter cloves around pan leaving them in the skin. Season tomatoes generously with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Roll everything around to coat, but leave tomatoes cut side up. Roast until they begin to slightly brown, about 35 minutes. (I baste the tomatoes with the pan juices half way through.)  

Chop onion and shallot. In two separate medium sized pots heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in each and sweat the onions on medium heat. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock and a bay leaf to each. Add roasted tomatoes, garlic removed from skin, and pan juices (split between the 2 pots separating the red and yellow tomatoes) and bring to a lively simmer. Season with salt and pepper.  Remove bay leaf from each. Purée yellow and red tomatoes separately. Strain back into pots, removing skins & seeds, and reserve. The flavor will deepen while it rests. Note: if you wish to make the yellow coulis yellow-er add a few dashes of tumeric. It will not change the flavor in small quantities but will make a brighter color.

For choux boats: preheat oven to 400˚F. In a medium sized pot bring the water, butter, and salt to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-high and add the flour in one fell swoop and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Once the mixture comes together and is smooth and no longer sticks to the side of the pot or the spoon remove from heat. Let cool for 1 minute. Then incorporate 1 egg at a time stirring vigorously after each to thoroughly incorporate. The pastry dough should be smooth and shiny and hold stiff peaks.  

Lightly butter the ramekins and spoon 2 Tablespoons of choux paste into each. With a plastic spatula smoosh the dough up the sides of the ramekins leaving a well in the center. Bake at 400˚F for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 350˚F and bake for 30 minutes more. Once golden brown, remove from oven, turn off heat, and take pastry boats out of ramekins. With a wooden pick, poke several holes in the boats to release steam. Place them back on a baking sheet and into the oven (which is turned off) to dry out for 5 minutes.  

Mix shrimp with mayonnaise, vinegar, celery, and chopped tarragon to taste (about 2 stems, leaves only). Dress shoots and sprouts with a splash of olive oil, champagne vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. 7. Fill pastry boats with sprouts & shoots, and shrimp. Place on plate and drizzle yellow and red coulis around with extra shoots and sprouts and cherry tomatoes.