Tweaking details gives big boost to shrimp cocktail

I'm in Asheville, N.C., at the suggestion of the The Culinary Sherpas, Michelle and Greg Baker. I think it's my new summer mini-vacation spot - close enough to Tampa for a quick weekend getaway, yet so very different in terms of climate (not humid!) and landscape (lots of mountains!).

For foodies (yes, I've finally have made peace with the word "foodies" and have begun to sprinkle my conversations with that word ... please don't hate me), Asheville is a place where you can truly connect with your food. And I don't mean a food-to-lips connection, but meeting firsthand the purveyors and the friendly chefs in this community and seeing how they've nurtured their crafts.

Some of my favorites included Crottin goat cheese from Spinning Spider Creamery, a family-run operation with 100 goats; smoked trout from Sunburst Trout Farm, an all-natural, sustainable trout farm nestled in the hills; all-natural grass-fed beef from Hickory Nut Gap Meats, the best grass-fed beef I've ever tasted; and Indian Kulfi Truffle from French Broad Chocolate Lounge, handmade by the cutest couple ever!

If you visit, hotel deals abound. Check www .twitter.com/asheville deals for the latest discounts. I heard some rooms at the Biltmore Estate are going for $100, an incredible bargain. Other places I recommend are the affordable Princess Anne Hotel, the historic Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa on Sunset Mountain (fantastic golf) and the hunting lodge-style Grand Bohemian Asheville at the entrance of Biltmore Estate.

If you're willing to drive a bit, you can fly from Orlando for about $100 per person via Allegiant Air. You'll fly nonstop into Greenville, S.C., a breathtaking 11/2-hour drive through the mountains to Asheville, according to Dodie of the Asheville visitors bureau.

In the meantime, whet your appetite for a visit with a shrimp cocktail from Grove Park Inn. It was my first meal here and changed the way I thought about shrimp cocktails.

I'd always thought they were all about the tangy sauce, but now I know the boil is just as important.

Instead of cooking its shrimp in plain water, the inn adds spices that turn the little crustacean into more than just a carrier for cocktail sauce. This shrimp cocktail has layers upon layers of flavors.

SHRIMP COCKTAIL

Recipe adapted from Grove Park Inn

Serves 4 as appetizer

For the shrimp:

2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning

1 lemon, halved

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon garlic

1 teaspoon Caribbean jerk seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

24 extra large shrimp (more if you are using smaller shrimp)

Have a large bowl of ice water ready near the sink. To an 8-quart pot of water, add all the ingredients except for the shrimp. Bring to a boil. Add the shrimp to the pot and when the water returns to a boil, the shrimp should be bright pink and done. Immediately drain and place the shrimp into the ice bath to cool for 2 minutes. Drain and serve with the cocktail sauce.

For the cocktail sauce:

The chef specifically recommends Heinz chili sauce; it's not very spicy and has a nice sweet taste. If you use another type of hot chili sauce, just start with a couple of tablespoons first, then taste and adjust.

1/2 cup Heinz chili sauce

1 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon horseradish

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

½ lemon, juiced

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco

½ clove garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.