The One-Two Punch

Lunch was delicious; the game gave me heartburn. Hester's 86 yard run was a thing of beauty but watching Cutler get sacked and sacked and sacked is beyond ugly.

I thought I'd chosen the perfect menu. I described it as the one-two punch: Shrimp Bisque and Smoked Salmon. When I heard the announcers regularly use the term "one-two punch" to describe what Seattle was doing to the Bears, my heart sank. I'll have to do better next week when we take on the Redskins. In the meantime, here's the recipe from the Williams-Sonoma "Soups" cookbook:

3 TB unsalted butter

2 Carrots, finely chopped

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 small baking potato, peeled and finely chopped

2 LBs small shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved

2 cups fish stock (or chicken broth)

2 cups light cream

1/2 TB dried Thyme

1 bay leaf, crumbled

Salt and White pepper to taste

In large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, celery, potato and shrimp shells and saute until the onion is translucent and the shells turn pink (about 3 min)

Add stock, cream, thyme, bay leaf and all but a handfull o9f the shelled shrimp. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 min.

In small batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender - guard against splattering

Force the puree through a strainer pressing the solids with a wooden spoon.

Return the soup to the pan and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Cut the remaining shrimp into small chunks and add to the soup. Simmer until warm (about 3 min).

Serves 4-6