I love the holidays and I have incredible Christmas memories, from a young age until today. My Mom did an amazing job of making Christmas magical, everything from the Nutcracker to the Rockettes to Christmas light tours. And my family did an incredible job of celebrating food and wine, sure year round, but especially around the holidays. We had the traditional Italian Christmas Eve feast of the 7 fishes, Christmas morning brunch and I always remember as a kid getting dressed up and going out to dinner somewhere "fancy" around the holidays as a special treat. As I got older I carried on the food traditions, often being the one to cook, in order to capture the food memories of my youth. When I was married, it was common for our house to be filled with 15-20 people, including family and friends and I have fond memories of cooking for days. So for me, even today, Christmas is definitely about the food.




This Christmas I had the pleasure of cooking an intimate Christmas dinner for some dear friends. To commemorate the Italian fish tradition of my childhood and my life changing trip to New Orleans this past year, I made this incredible appetizer-Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp with Bourbon BBQ Sauce. This was seriously the food highlight of my holiday. This BBQ sauce was out of this world! And the shrimp were cooked perfectly and the prosciutto was crispy and with a nice glass of Cab, I was a happy girl!

This would actually be a perfect recipe for a New Years Eve party, as well, just in case you are looking for some festive ideas for the next food soiree. And it is easy and not time consuming-win/win!!


First of all make the BBQ sauce, which can be made in advance. Saute the onion and rosemary leaves in olive oil. I love the smell of fresh rosemary, it just makes me happy!!! Next add the garlic and continue to cook.


Take the sauce off the heat and add the bourbon, which is a whiskey, in case you are unfamiliar with it, like I was us until recently. Add the brown sugar, I used smoked brown sugar, which was an awesome choice! Add the Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Also add the prepared BBQ sauce, I used a hickory smoked sauce because I really love that smoky flavor, and it worked really well with the prosciutto.


Put all of the sauce ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. I actually kept mine a little chunky just because the sauce is also used as a dipping sauce and I wanted a little texture to it, but that is just me.

Next take the shrimp and wrap them in prosciutto. Mine weren't the prettiest and I was concerned about how well the prosciutto would stick to the shrimp, but it adhered well in the cooking process, as it was assisted with the BBQ sauce.

Put the shrimp on a baking sheet and baste with the sauce. Cook for 5 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Flip the shrimp and baste again, cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve with the extra sauce and a little parsley for garnish and you have the perfect holiday appetizer or hell I could have easily sat down with my glass of wine and just ate the whole plate...just sayin'.




BARBECUE SAUCE
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons bourbon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup prepared barbecue sauce, preferably a less sweet brand
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of hot sauce
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

SHRIMP
24 extra-large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 slices of prosciutto, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Lime wedges, for serving





MAKE THE BARBECUE SAUCE In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and rosemary and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to brown, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in all of the remaining barbecue sauce ingredients and season with salt and pepper. In a food processor, puree the barbecue sauce until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a bowl.

PREPARE THE SHRIMP Preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap each shrimp in a half slice of prosciutto and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the shrimp with some of the barbecue sauce and arrange them 1 inch apart. Roast the shrimp for 5 minutes. Turn the shrimp over, brush with more barbecue sauce and roast for about 5 minutes longer, until the shrimp are firm and white throughout and the barbecue sauce is shiny. Transfer the shrimp to a platter and sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve with lime wedges and any remaining barbecue sauce for dipping.

MAKE AHEAD The barbecue sauce can be refrigerated for 3 days. The prosciutto-wrapped shrimp can be refrigerated for 8 hours before roasting.

Hope everyone had a fabulous holiday! Cheers!!