Yes, freshly back from Vegas and I have much to share. Before getting into all the Vegas Uncork'd stories, I've procured a recipe from one of the top attending chefs, the always dapper Alain Ducasse. Known for his intricate, flawless French cuisine, Ducasse has won many Michelin stars from France to New York, even to his Vegas eatery, which I recently visited, miX, atop THEhotel. 

Shrimp cocktail. Pretty standard, no? Not when Chef Ducasse gives it a whirl. Below, his take on the classic. One note. Yes, this recipe does have many components and seems complicated, but you can always leave some parts out. For example, just prepare the shrimp and tomato syrup. Anyway, here's the whole recipe.

Shrimp Cocktail

Makes 4

1 Pound Shrimp (about 20)

6oz Horseradish Royale

4oz Spicy Tomato Syrup

1oz  Candied lemon Zest

4 Dried Lemon Chips

4oz Mesclun Salad

2oz Pan De Mie Croutons

Verjus Vinaigrette

Salt & Pepper

For the poached shrimp:

Peel and devein shrimp. Bring court bouillon* to a boil, add shrimp. When cooked and tender remove from liquid and cool.

Horseradish Royale

32oz Heavy Cream

16oz Horseradish

44oz Crème Friache

8 Gelatin leaves

Salt & Pepper

Infuse heavy cream, horseradish, salt and pepper in a large pot over low heat.  Pass through a fine chiniose. Bloom gelatin in cold water. Dissolve gelatin in the horseradish cream, combine with crème friache. Reserve.

Spicy Tomato Syrup

6oz Sugar

3oz Olive Oil

32oz Tomatoes

1oz Garlic cloves

1oz Salt

.5oz Black Pepper Mignonette

.5oz Red Chili

3oz Red Wine Vinegar

2oz Basil

In a pan make melt together sugar and olive oil. Cook over medium heat until sugar has melted and a light caramel has formed, about 10 minutes. Deglaze with the vinegar. Cut tomatoes in half and add. Add remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes. Pass through a fine chiniose and cool. Reserve.

Candied Lemon Zest

8oz Lemon juice

8oz Sugar

8oz Lemon Zest

Remove the zest from 10 lemons. Cut into 1 inch julienne; blanch one time in cold water. Combine lemon juice and sugar in a small pot; bring to a boil to make syrup. Add lemon zest and simmer until soft and translucent. Cool and reserve.

Dried Lemon Chips

1 Lemon

Powdered Sugar

Freeze lemon; slice as thin as possible on a slicer. Place lemon slices on a silpat (non-stick baking sheet), sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 200’F for 45 minutes. Chips should be crisp and take no color. Reserve.

Pan de Mie Croutons

Sliced sandwich bread

Clarified Butter

Salt

Remove crust from pan de mie. Cut into 1/8 inch croutons. Heat butter in a sauté pan, toast croutons until golden brown. Season with salt and reserve.

To Assemble: 

Set 1.5oz Horseradish royale in a bowl, leave to set 1 hour in the refrigerator. Place 1oz spicy tomato syrup on top of royale.  Add shrimp, candied lemon zest, salt & pepper.  Finish with mixed greens, croutons and dried lemon chip.