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Shrimp Grits, Pickled Jalapeño, Fried Egg

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Shrimp Grits, Pickled Jalapeño, Fried EggPeter Ross

Wylie Dufresne, chef/owner of Alder and WD~50 in New York City, shared this recipe exclusively with Epicurious.

"Modernist cuisine is a mind-set," says Dufresne. "It's a paradigm shift." In this recipe, Dufresne applies his modernist cuisine ideology to shrimp and grits, reimagining the flavors and textures of the classic dish.

"I've always been interested in shrimp and grits. When I came across a Shrimp & Grits recipe on Epicurious, from an old issue of Bon Appétit, I thought, 'Wouldn't it be cool if we made the shrimp into grits?' Again, the modernist leap here was in the idea, not the technique, which is quite simple."

To transform shrimp into grits, Dufresne grinds them in a meat grinder: once when raw, and then two more times after they've been cooked. Corn powder, vegetable stock, and "a healthy knob of butter" help create the creamy, starchy quality of actual grits, while homemade pickled jalapeños lend some heat. "Adding a fried quail egg is optional," says Dufresne, "but makes it much better, of course."

Cooks' Note

*Corn powder can be ordered online from Momofuku Milk Bar. Alternatively, you can grind freeze-dried corn in a blender until a fine powder forms, then sift it and measure out 1 cup. Freeze-dried corn is available online from Walmart or Melissa's Produce.

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