Baked Fresh Shrimp with Feta Cheese

I made this for the my husband's church potluck, being as how my husband is allergic to shellfish, and I have to seize every opportunity to serve it when he's not going to be the only one eating it. The potluck people tend toward the older end of the spectrum. There are two families with school age children. Somehow it is agreed that these events are adults only, which, now that my kids are adults themselves, is fine with me. I haven't heard any objections from the families with children, either. Anyhow, they are a pleasant group of people, and over the years, we have had some fascinating discussions.
One year, a man and his wife who were retired Foreign Service officers were part of our group. He was an expert in the Arab world, and told a hilarious story about driving his American station wagon through the streets of Cairo and being mistaken for a taxi driver. The story makes more sense when it is explained that all taxis in Cairo are yellow, like the man's car. Anyhow, the would be passenger got in and asked to be taken to the main mosque.
"I'm the chief consul at the American Embassy," our friend thought to himself. "I can take this guy to the main mosque."
A few minutes later, it became obvious to the passenger that he was not in a Cairo taxi. He became very quiet and then asked our friend if he could get out now. The man leaped out into traffic and fled, no doubt convinced he had narrowly avoided being kidnapped.
Well, anyway, about the shrimp. What takes the longest in preparing this dish is peeling the shrimp. There is also the question of what it is supposed to look like. The recipe says to bake the ingredients for ten minutes, until it starts to bubble. I set the timer and took it out after ten minutes. Because the shrimp is obscured by the tomato on top, I didn't see any bubbling.Nor did I get a gander at the consistency of the casserole. It turned out to be much more liquidy than I would have expected. Given the ingredients, I expected something like a quiche, a semi-solid cream and egg mixture with shrimp embedded in it.
Because the recipe as given in the NYTHC only serves 3 to 4, I had to double the recipe, which may have made for a slower cooking time. I would advise lifting up the tomato slices and inspecting what lies beneath, If it is not bubbling or starting to set, put it in for another five minutes. This is kind of bland, given that feta cheese is a flavorful cheese. However, if you are looking for a new way to cook shrimp, this is worth a try.

Baked Fresh Shrimp with Feta Cheese

12 shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Tabasco sauce to taste
1 large tomato peeled and sliced
juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
finely ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cook the shrimp in the butter on both sides just until shrimp turn pink. Transfer them to a small baking dish and discard the butter.
3. Combine the egg and cream and beat with a fork until blended. Add the cheese and continue mixing. Add the Tabasco and pour the mixture over the shrimp. Arrange the tomato slices on top and bake until cheese mixture starts bubbling, about ten minutes.
4. Sprinkle the lemon juice on top and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately with pepper.
Makes three to four servings.