Several months ago, under the glow of lighted Christmas balls, two cooks met and plotted a dinner at another friend’s home. Sarah and I came up with a scheme. We would cook a fantastic meal and crash our friend’s Todd and Laura’s fabulous house for a dinner party. They were kind enough to accept the idea. Months later, Sarah and I planned a creole themed dinner for nine people. My family’s traditional shrimp creole, a grapefruit and avocado salad, small creole flavored deviled eggs and a most rich and decadent chocolate croissant bread pudding all made the menu.

Special thanks to Laura and Todd for hosting us! Thanks to Sarah for a fun night of collaboration!

The theme was rooted in the idea that I wanted to cook most the dinner at home – in advance – and arrive in style with an easily assembled unusual meal. This shrimp creole recipe can be cooked in big batches weeks ahead. I made the sauce on a rainy Sunday afternoon the weekend before the party — without the shrimp. Day of the party, I defrosted, tasted for final seasoning and hauled the pot over to Laura’s. Right before we ate, I tossed in shrimp to fully cook before serving. It couldn’t have been easier.

Shrimp creole is perfect served over a bed of fluffy basmati rice. Here’s the recipe!