Shrimp and Grits a la John Besh

I ate at Luke Restaurant in New Orleans and had a wonderful version of the traditional Southern dish--shrimp and grits. It had less of an overabundance of sauce, and wonderfully flavorful grits.

Grits:
1 tsp salt
1 c white grits
2 Tbs butter
½ c mascarpone cheese

Place 4 c water in a medium saucepan. Add salt. Bring to a boil. Slowly pour the grits in, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low. Simmer until all the water has been absorbed, stirring frequently to keep the grits from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the butter and mascarpone. Remove from heat and place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the grits to prevent a crust from forming.

Shrimp:
2 Tbs olive oil
1 ½ lb medium shrimp
Creole Seasoning (recipe below)
Salt
1/2 c diced andouille sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 roasted red pepper
1 Tbs fresh thyme, chopped
2 c shrimp stock (can substitute chicken stock mixed with some clam juice)
2 Tbs butter
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 c canned diced tomatoes, drained
1 Tbs chopped fresh chives
½ c fresh chervil sprigs

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with Creole seasoning and salt. Saute until the shrimp begin to brown but are not cooked all the way through. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same skillet, sauté the andouille, garlic, shallots, peppers, and thyme for about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in the butter and continue to cook until the sauce has reduced and thickened a little.
Return the shrimp to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, diced tomatoes, and chives.

To serve, spoon a heaping ¼ c of grits into the center of a bowl. Spoon shrimp and andouille mixture over the grits. Garnish with chervil.

Creole Seasoning:

2 Tbs celery salt
1 Tbs paprika
1 Tbs coarse sea salt
1 Tbs ground black pepper
1 Tbs garlic powder
1Tbs onion powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp allspice