Crispy Honey Walnut Shrimp

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Water
Dry tempura batter mix
8 large shrimp (15 or fewer per pound), peeled except for the tail, and deveined
8 large broccoli florets
2 teaspoons Grand Marnier liqueur, or less to taste
Hot cooked Jasmine rice
8 to 10 honeyed walnut halves, purchased or homemade (recipe follows)
Dried parsley, for garnish
Sweet paprika, for garnish
Combine the mayonnaise and sweetened condensed milk in a small bowl or cup. Set aside.

Fill a fryer or deep pot with at least 4 inches of oil. Place a fryer basket in the oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Place dry tempura mix in a shallow dish for coating the shrimp. In another bowl, combine more dry tempura mix with water according to the package directions to make a batter. Dip the shrimp in the batter, then place the shrimp in the dry mix (see Photo A) and toss to coat. Roll the shrimp in the dry mix until the pieces are separate and look shaggy.

The shrimp are ready to cook. Stretch them out slightly as you add them to the fryer basket, one by one. After all the shrimp are added, do not shake the fryer or pot -- let them cook until they begin to turn golden brown and start to float. Shake the fryer basket a few times, then turn the shrimp onto a shallow plate (Photo B). The total cooking time should be 2-3 minutes.

Add the broccoli florets to the boiling water. Heat a large saute pan over medium-low heat, then add the mayonnaise mixture. Stir the mixture just until warmed through and loosened up. Remove from the heat and add the shrimp to the pan -- stir to coat. Drizzle with the Grand Marnier (Photo C) and gently toss just until combined, being careful not to break up the shrimp.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the broccoli from the boiling water -- it should be just fork-tender.

Place the hot rice in a small deep bowl and invert it onto the center of a dinner plate. Place the broccoli florets in a circle around the rice toward the edges of the plate (Photo D). Set the shrimp on their heads, tails up, between the florets. Sprinkle walnuts along the shrimp. Garnish the shrimp and broccoli with dried parsley and the rim of the plate with sweet paprika.

Makes 1 main-dish serving.

Honeyed Walnuts

This recipe appears in "First Impressions" by Betty Rosbottom (William Morrow and Company Inc., 1992), and was contributed by Rosbottom's friend, Nancy Roehrs. You will need a candy thermometer to prepare the nuts.


Vegetable cooking spray
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup honey
3 cups walnut halves (about 12 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat generously with vegetable cooking spray.

Combine the sugar, water and honey in a medium-size heavy saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring only until the sugar dissolves. Swirl the pan occasionally. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 240 degrees (soft ball stage). Remove the pan from the heat.

Add the walnuts and vanilla to the pan and stir vigorously, using a spoon, until the syrup is thick and cream-colored, for about 5 minutes. Turn the mixture out onto the cookie sheet.

Using 2 forks, separate the walnuts. Let cool completely. The walnuts can be stored in an airtight container for as long as 3 weeks.

Makes 3 cups.