Crescent Lodge Chef Sherrod Sharpe’s Mediterranean Shrimp Scampi
With each New Year’s Holiday we find ourselves making resolutions many of which are geared toward resolving to evolve ourselves and try new things. From opening our mind to alternative cultural experiences; to broadening our taste buds with new culinary delights, the Pocono Mountains continues to guide guests toward conquering those quests.
While traditional holiday delicacies mastered by the area’s top chefs surely please patrons; alternative eats are becoming increasingly popular especially with the challenge of establishing (and sticking to) that almighty New Year’s Resolution.
Crescent Lodge invites all to enjoy an evening of New Year’s dining December 31 from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. with a menu sure to delight. This Paradise Valley destination is set to serve up a list of established favorites; but it’s the unique eats featured that’s been creating a quite a buzz.
Bringing the tastes of succulent southern cuisine to the Pocono Mountains; Chef Sherrod Sharpe has speckled a few dishes into the evening’s choices including a New Year’s Gumbo filled with jumbo shrimp, sweet lobster, sea scallops and colossal lump crabmeat.
Unmasking excitement over offering guests the option of “trying something new and enjoying it,” he also admits maintaining a “family friendly” menu is important. Bringing a kids menu into the fold inspired by kid size portions with an “adult flair,” he lists prime rib as one of the top picks but considers the tried and true chicken fingers a must to avoid fuss.
For those planning to take a stab at home cooking for a change, Chef Sharpe divulges a few secrets serving up the ingredients of one his favorites—Mediterranean Shrimp Scampi.
Starting with measurements equating to one serving, he divvies out details…
Ingredients
- shrimp, peeled and deveined – tails left on
- 1/4 cup black olives – pitted
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
- salt and pepper – to taste
- rice, as accompaniment prepared separately (substitute pasta if preferred)
Directions
Combine wine, lemon juice, garlic and parsley in a sauté pan bringing ingredients to a slow simmer. Stir in olives, bell peppers and shrimp adding salt and pepper to taste. Important – be sure not to include final ingredients longer than five minutes to avoid overcooking.
Place rice (or pasta) on serving plate then spoon ingredients over top adding garnish (if desired) and enjoy!
With leftovers unlikely, let’s take taste buds yearning for more yuletide eats over to Robert Christian’s Restaurant. Roasted turkey and all the trimmings is nestled snuggly in this Pocono Lake place’s menu while visions of “Buddy Burgers” dance in their heads encouraging unity with delicious beefy deals!
Host, Bob Gallagher, considers the fare “charming country dining at affordable prices” inviting all to consider Robert Christian’s as a routine post slopes stop!
