A Recipe From Chef Julius

I’ve been blessed enough to have enjoyed some amazing meals in my lifetime, but recently I had one that ranked in my top ten most memorable meals of all time. Allow me to share/gush/rave.

It’s not every day that you’re invited for a five course dinner at the home of an amazing chef.

Recently I was lucky enough to visit the home of Chef Julius Russell, the man behind A Tale Of Two Chefs. Chef Julius is a private chef, which means he isn’t tied down to a restaurant. So what does a private chef do? As he explains on his site, he “accommodates the culinary needs of celebrities, as well as, prominent Chicagoans, providing in home dining and elaborate dinners of parties 2 to 50. In addition, A Tale of Two Chefs provides specialty catering and menu design for corporate clients such as, Goodman Theater, N’Digo Magapaper, Jewel-Osco, NBC5 Chicago, Christian CEO’s of America, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Schnucks, Giant Eagle and MillerCoors, Inc.”

Wow. So I was in excellent company as one of his guests! This was more than just a fancy meal in an intimate setting – it was an education by a master. Chef Julius is currently collaborating with Red Monkey, selecting spices that compliment the palate and promoting their brand in his demonstrations and appearances. Throughout the evening he kept reminding me of his catchphrase – no bad tasting decisions EVER! And thanks to his tutorial, I now am using scallions, sea salt, and Red Monkey spices in my at-home cooking (and my husband couldn’t be happier!)

One of the BEST items Chef Julius plied us with, was his Mango Habanera Tiger Shrimp served on a bed of
Sweet Curry and Coconut Creamed Corn. I KNOW. Curried corn! I had never heard of such a thing (and if you know me, you know I am serious about curry)! Chef Julius took me to culinary heaven with that dish, and I simply HAD to get the recipe to share with you all! (sorry about the blurry pic below, I took that photo with my phone right before I inhaled the whole plate!)

Mango Habanera Tiger Shrimp

1lb Tiger shrimp (peeled & deveined)

2T extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp coarse black pepper

2T Red Monkey Mango Habanera Seasoning

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients into a large glass bowl and marinate for 15min.

Place a 10in sauté pan on medium high heat for 2min

Add shrimp to the hot pan and sauté 5-7min. Shrimp are done when they turn pink

Serve atop Creamed Corn

Sweet Curry and Coconut Creamed Corn

1lb frozen whole kernel corn

2T Red Monkey Curry Powder (or more if you REALLY like curry)

1T Red Monkey Oregano

½ tsp black pepper

3T minced shallots

2T roasted garlic puree

¼ cup heavy cream

½ cup coconut milk

1tsp Red Monkey Cayenne Pepper

Directions:

Place sauté pan on med-high heat for 2min

Add olive oil and cook for 2min more, then add minced shallots and garlic puree, cook 3min

Next add the corn and curry, stir into the existing mixture. Next add both types of milk. Cook 7-10min

Add black and cayenne pepper, cook for 1min. Pinch and then add oregano. Remove from the flame and serve warm.

I’m making this at home ASAP!

Chef Julius served a small, tapas-sized portion so I’m not sure this would make a good dinner if you tried to make a bigger portion. However that tapas-sized portion could SERIOUSLY impress your friends if you have an end-of-summer at home BBQ!

If you make this recipe, let me know how you like it. And you can let Chef Julius know your thoughts by following him on Twitter – there he is @TheChefJulius and on Facebook he’s A Tale Of Two Chefs. Join him, say hello, tell him Afrobella sent you, and feel free to ask him any recipe advice you may need!