The commute to and from the southern apple fields takes on additional challenges as the snow starts to fall. I personally like driving in snow but the adventure is always in avoiding the troglodytes who don’t understand the concept of winter driving.

Then there’s the issue of how much additional time the commute takes on: during one storm last winter I actually spent more time sitting at the wheel than I did sitting in front of the keyboard (and I completed a full day). So apart from having an extra breakfast and an afternoon snack for the interminable boredom while waiting to get onto one of the bridges, the extended commute generally leaves little time during the weekday to spend time making anything particularly complicated.

This one can be whipped together in a hurry, especially if frozen shrimp makes up a pantry staple (I try) and it can easily scale up depending on the servings required. Since it’s fairly neutral, accompaniments can also change to take care of what’s in the refrigerator that needs to be eaten or most options that might suit your fancy.

Ingredients

• shrimp
• yellow beans
• mushrooms (I had button, 2 types of pleurotte and shimeji)
• 1 shallot
• potatoes
• cream
• butter
• milk 
• vanilla 

Preparation

The challenge is in timing, as several elements are prepared concurrently so that everything is ready for plating.

Steam the potatoes (skin on) until they are fully cooked. Heat up cream and butter until butter is melted. Peel potatoes, discarding skins and pass potatoes through a food mill or ricer. Fold in cream and butter mixture, ensuring that the potato becomes an even purée; continue adding cream and butter until the potato becomes the thickness of a very thick sauce. Season with salt and white pepper.

Tear and slice the mushrooms (as required) and mince the shallot. Sweat the minced shallot in butter until soft. Add the mushrooms and gently cook. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat and set aside.

Steam yellow beans until cooked but still crisp.

Peel shrimp (leaving tails), devein and lightly season shrimp with salt and white pepper. Melt butter into a pan over medium heat; when butter stops foaming, turn down the heat to low and slowly cook shrimp. When shrimp are almost cooked, add a small amount of vanilla (bean or whole bean extract). Remove from heat and set aside.

Service

Adjust potato consistency with some hot milk until it is fluid. Plate mushrooms and yellow beans. Place shrimp. Sauce with potato purée.

To make it more of a meal, this dish can be preceded by something simple like a tomato and cucumber salad if those are lying about. The one below marinated the cucumbers in soy sauce and rice vinegar and used wine salt to season the tomato.

Wine

Something to pair off the shrimp would probably be the best thing, and as it’s already tinted with vanilla, a New World Chardonnay that’s not overly oaked. Grüner Veltliners are another option.

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