If I want to slave over dinner, it better be for something good.  And these shrimp screamed something good.  The pictures looked so good in fact, that I took out the recipe without glancing at the ingredients or cooking time.  When I finally got around to making our Valentine's Day recipes, I noticed the list of the ingredients on this baby was way more than I could handle.  A classic case of (literally) biting off way more than I could chew.  So as you will see below I took a lot of liberties with this recipe. 

The spoons are another story entirely. I've been drooling over these little one bite spoons for months while many of my favorite blogs use them often in their pictures.  I even went so far as to pick them up at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  But, $10 for 4 spoons seems ridiculous, doesn't it?  I passed.  Then, we were at a family party a few weekends ago with the entire family.  And, they served beet salad in these little spoons.  Loving my good luck, I immediately set about cajoling everyone to hand me their used spoons so I could stash them in my purse. 

M and K are much better people than I.  Therefore, the spoons never went farther than everyone's mouths.  By then, I already had this stuffed shrimp recipe in mind and I couldn't think of a better vehicle to showcase them.  And that is when this story takes a fortuitous turn.  Mom likes to walk, and I like to be with Mom.  The next weekend, we walked to Marshalls (about 2 miles) and there, on a shelf were four ceramic spoons...for $3.50.  That same night, I finally made this recipe.  It was well worth the wait, and so were the spoons. 
Stuffed Shrimp in Beurre Blanc Sauce (adapted from Rachael Ray February 2012 issue*)
Serves:  4
1 celery stalk
1 large shallot
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup lump crabmeat
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lemon juice, divided
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
12 jumbo shrimp (peeled and deveined)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons of butter (1/2 stick)

Finely chop celery and shallot.  By hand, combine celery, shallot, panko, crabmeat, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon white wine, and Old Bay Seasoning.  Roll into twelve small balls onto a greased cookie sheet.  Set aside.  Butterfly the shrimp from the underside and lightly place one over each ball.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Bake the shrimp about 12-15 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and firm.  Meanwhile, make the beurre blanc.  In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar and remaining wine to a simmer over low heat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Simmer until reduced by half (2-3 minutes).  Remove the pan from heat and immediately whisk in 1 tablespoon of butter until incorporated.  Whisk in the remaining butter, one tablespoon at a time.  Stir in the remaining lemon juice.  To serve, place a buddle of sauce on plates or shallow bowls.  Arrange three shrimp in the sauce with the tails toward the center.

*I liberally adapted this recipe for a number of reasons.  The first is that just because it's Valentine's Day, doesn't mean we need to stop watching what we eat.  Rachael calls for 2 sticks of butter for 4 servings with 16 shrimp!  Which is way beyond my diet.  Also, I don't believe that 4 shrimp is dinner.  These should be served as a light dinner/fancy appetizer.  I served a light chicken and lots of vegetables after we started our night with these.

Until the next time my oven is on...