Chubby, why would you even consider fajitas with those monster U-8s? I mean, that's what 35s are for.

The vol au vent saucing sounds good. But, again, I think I'd want to leave them whole, rather than cut them up to fit the pastry shells. I think, were it me, that I'd saute them whole, sauce them, use a fresh epi or even plain baguette to chase that wonderful sauce.

Hey! You remember that conversation/recipe for the spot prawns with butternut squash slaw and blood orange? The U-8s make a great sub for the spots---I know, cuz that's what I did the first time. And, because blood oranges were out of season, I subbed tangerines and that worked too.

I can repost that recipe if it intriques.

>Thank you so much for sparking my interests by your many posts regarding Moroccan and tagines.<

It's just bread on the waters, Cathy. Let's face it, had I not done that I wouldn't be privy to this marvolous shrimp dish.

Great ideas all, Brook! Please re-post recipe!

I'd actually keep these monsters whole no matter which preparartion I chose.

For the vol au vents I'd hook a few over the "rim" around the perimeter of each pastry cup and maybe fill the center w/ summery grilled corn or some such that would be complimented by the sauce and go well w/ the prawns.

If I did the fajitas, I'd still keep them whole, rather than chop and dismember- and rather than make one large traditional fajita I would likely gather a couple warm tortillas near, along with the pico, guac and sour cream and build it bite-by-bite using the whole prawns and tearing-off smaller portions of the tortilla, wrapping it around the shrimp and garnishing with the condiments- choke it down, then do it all again until NO MORE PRAWNS!

This morning while laying in bed I also thought I might ought to capitalize on their huge-ness by making a light, crispy tempura... hmmm... and I still like the skewer idea too...

Will be cooking for my sister and bro-in-law and they'd likely enjoy the fajitas or tempura the most...

O-oo-oo-oo I vote for Tempura!!! Oh heck I totally forgot I won't be there "aw shucks"

Yeah, that's a mouthful. In more ways than one.

This comes from the book "Yum! Tasty Recipes From Culinary Greats. I don't think I've discussed that book much, here. But, in it's own way, it's even better than Where Flavor Was Born. And y'all know how much I like that one.

You can find my review of Yum! in the cookbook review archives over at ChefTalk.com if you're interested.

This recipe was contributed by Helene Kennan, who, among other things, is the Executive Chef for Bon Appetit Management Co.

Anyway, blood oranges are out of season right now. But if you can find tangerines, they work just as well. In fact, other than color, they have the same citrus flavor, IMO.

Spot Prawns are available mail order, if you're willing to take out a second mortgage. They're native to the Pacific Northwest, from northern California to Alaska. Just imagine a shrimp about nine to eleven inches long. Any of the bigger ones will work, though. Last time I used U-15s. U-8s the first time. And once I used large Key West pinks, dusted with Old Bay for a little more flavor.

1 med to lge butternut squash
3 blood oranges
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup plus 1 tbls avocado oil or olive oil
1 cup fresh basil
1/4 tsp fresh grated cinnamon
1/3 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb wild-0caught spot prawns, peeled and deveined
6-8 large pecans.

For the slaw: Place 3 cups of water in midium saucepan over high heat. Bring water to boil. Peel, seed and grate butternut swuah. Blanch the squash in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain well and spread out on a sheet pan to cool.
Segment 2 blood oranges and reserve any juice that might accumulate during this process in a separate bowl. Juice the remaining blood oragne into the bowl with the reserved juice.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the white balsamic vinegar, blood orange juice and 1/4 cup avodaco oil. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt and pepper. Set aside 1/4 cup of this dressing.
In a medium non -aluminum mixing bowl, combine squash and dressing minus the 1/4 cup set aside. Allow to sit for at lest 20 minutes so flavors meld properly.*

For the shrimp: Place a large saute pan over medium high heat and add a tablespoon of avocado oil or olive oil. Season the prawns with salt and pepper. Add prawns to hot pan and saute until just cooked through.

To assemble: As the prawns are cooking add blood orange segments and basil to squash and place a small amount of the slaw in the center of each plate. Place prawns just off the side of the slaw and drizzle a small amount of the reserved dressing over the prawns and the plate.
Garte the pecans over the plates.

* I found it best to shock the squash in cold water, after blanching, and then wring it out well so as to remove as much moisture as possible before adding the dressing.