Shrimp dumplings

Quenelles de crevettes : instructions

• Preparing the basic dough for the quenelles
  • 1
    Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan or pot with the butter.
    
  • 2
    Pour everything into a bowl and add the flour. Mix everything together until you have a dough.
    
    The recipe I followed wasn't very specific, so I added all the butter. As a result, the dough was a bit soft, and I think you should add only half the butter here and save the other half for the final step of shaping the quenelles.
    
  • 3
    Roll out the dough and set it aside to rest.
    
• The sauce
  • 4
    Slice the onion, including the green part, and sauté it over low heat in a little olive oil and butter in a saucepan. Since “a little” depends on personal taste and appetite, I’ll leave the amount up to you. While the onion is simmering, prepare the broth.
    
  • 5
    If, like me, you’ve been saving pink shrimp heads and shells in the freezer, now’s the time to take them out and boil them in a pot with a packet of real shellfish stock.
    
    Avoid bouillon cubes, whose main ingredients are fat and salt. I recommend the real bouillon packets from the Ariaké brand, which I find at specialty food stores. Or you can make your own bouillon ;-)
    
  • 6
    After simmering for about ten minutes, strain the broth after mashing the shrimp scraps to extract all the flavor (eyes, brains, intestines, etc.)
    
  • 7
    Return to the onion: add the raw shrimp and sauté over medium heat.
    
  • 8
    Once the shrimp are cooked (2 or 3 minutes—it’s quick), pour in the Armagnac. If you don’t have Armagnac, you can substitute cognac, rum, whiskey... in short, whatever you have on hand, as long as it’s good quality and not some cheap “cooking” stuff.
    
    I listed 8 cl in the ingredients, but for me, it was more like a shot glass, as you can see in the photo.
    
  • 9
    Flambé the Armagnac. It creates a nice, high flame—make sure you don’t set the range hood filters on fire. I might have poured a little too much.
    
  • 10
    To calm your nerves and make sure the product is still of high quality, pour a little Armagnac (or whatever you’ve chosen) into a small glass. Drink it.
    
  • 11
    Take a moment to mourn the untimely demise of your favorite dish towel, which died in the line of duty in the kitchen, and make a note to use a pot with a handle next time.
    
  • 12
    Add the tomato paste and crème fraîche, and stir to combine them thoroughly.
    
  • 13
    Stir in the broth and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
    
• Back to the quenelles
  • 14
    If you have a food processor that can handle the dough, raw shrimp, and eggs all at once... go for it :-) Otherwise, if like me you have a very small food processor, start by chopping the shrimp (possibly with the remaining butter if you didn’t put it all in the milk), then in a mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the dough with the chopped shrimp and the eggs.
    
  • 15
    Bring a large pot of water to a boil. To shape the quenelles, I used a large spoon to "mold" them. There are other techniques, and to be honest, my quenelles didn't quite have the traditional shape you'd expect from a quenelle. Everyone
    should do what works best for them! Dip the spoon into the boiling water and tap it gently on the bottom so that the quenelle releases smoothly.
    Repeat until all the dough is used up.
    Boil for 15 minutes, turning the quenelles occasionally once they float to the surface.
    
  • 16
    Drain the quenelles and place them in a baking dish.
    Cover them with the sauce, and bake for 40 minutes at 180°C.
    
  • 17
    I suggest using a baking dish that’s big enough for the dumplings and sauce to spread out comfortably, and not filling it to the brim.
    Otherwise, you’ll be in for a real hassle cleaning the oven.
    
  • 18
    Quenelles are usually served with rice, but you can vary the accompaniment with pasta, semolina, quinoa, etc.