Tonight's Dinner: Seared shrimp with white chocolate lemon beurre blanc

Chocolate is one of my favorite sweets. As a matter of fact, I freely admit that I'm a serious chocoholic. So as you may have guessed, my cupboard is stocked with everything chocolate from powder to chip to bar. I use chocolate all the time in my desserts, but I have never, ever considered using chocolate as an ingredient in any of my entrées. That is until the Wall Street Journal published an article all about having chocolate for dinner.

That's not a misprint. I said the Wall Street Journal. If you're surprised the WSJ includes recipes in their pages, you're not alone. I was surprised, too, but this recipe was so intriguing, I just had to try it. And it was absolutely divine. Once melted down, the chocolate didn't taste at all chocolaty. In fact when combined with the shallots and lemon juice, it had a nice rich flavor that paired perfectly with the shrimp. Who knew all I had to do was add vinegars, salts and onions to turn this sweet dessert into a savory sauce. This means I can actually have chocolate for every meal of the day and not feel guilty about it. I think I just died and went to heaven. You will too.

Seared shrimp with lemon beurre blanc

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 18 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1 scallion, trimmed and minced
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup finely chopped white chocolate
• 6 cups baby arugula

Directions:

1. Heat two tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and season well with salt and pepper. Sear shrimp for one to two minutes on each side until just done and set aside.
2. Return skillet to medium heat. Add shallots and sauté for 10 seconds. Add the lemon juice and vinegar and reduce for two minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the scallions. Whisk in the butter and the chocolate, a couple pieces at a time, until all is melted and smooth.
3. To serve: Toss the arugula with the remaining olive oil and salt and pepper; divide between plates. Arrange shrimp around the arugula and drizzle with the white chocolate lemon sauce.

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