Take this stuff...
Get 5-6 cups of chicken stock and take the shells off your shrimp. Throw those shells in your stock and simmer for 20-30 minutes to get a mixed shrimp stock going. Then you use a slotted spoon or filter to remove the shells, leaving the flavor in your stock.
While that's going we are going to dry brine our shrimp with a little baking soda, salt, and cornstarch. Let that live in the fridge for an hour.
Put 1-1.5 cups of stone ground grits into your stock. Bring to a boil stirring, then low simmer while striring regularly.
Keep reducing this until the grits are a nice soft porridge like texture. If they aren't smooth enough yet, poor some more chickn stock over and reduce some more. This is like making rissoto. add some, reduce, add some reduce. I just pour it all in at once and reduce. About a 5:1 ratio of liquid to grits really concentrates those flavors.
Save about a cup of that stock you have! Or at least a cup of plain chicken stock left over. You'll need it later.
When done, mix in your cheese. I am using a combo of 1/2 cup sharp cheddar and 1/2 cup of Grueyere shredded. Stir it in until melted and turn off eat, cover. Keep warm.
Now lets get our gravy ready. Cook some thick cut bacon.
Put the bacon on a paper towel and put the bacon grease aside.
Spoon a couple Tbsp bacon grease into the pan, turn up to high eat, and just as smoking toss in your shrimp. Keep them moving and get them about 90% done. They don't need to be well done! We will bring them back later!
Just starting to turn brown and they will be just a little soft in the middle still if you push on them with a spatula.
Lower to Med heat.
Set your shrimp aside and saute your mushrooms (NOT PICTURED). I'm using a combo of shitake and portabello thin sliced stems cut off.
Saute muchrooms in a spoonful of bacon grease until they are half done and start releasing their moisture.
Then add in a couple Tbsp of butter, 2 cloves of garlic, some green onion.
Saute that all around until the garlic and green onion are soft. Don't burn your garlic!
All that stuff cooked down...
Pour in that leftover cup of stock and move it all around. Scrape brown bits off the pain. Add little more butter until emulsified if you need to. Add a couple dashes of cayenne pepper.
Once thickened some, return your shrimp and saute it all together making a tasty shrimp and mushroom gravy.
Add some taragon, basil, and thyme.
Squeeze a lemon's worth of juice into this and mix.
Put grits in a shallow bowl. Use a spatula or slotted spoon to place your mushroom/shrimp mix onto the grits. Pour some of that grave over it all. Garnish with fresh green onion, tarrago, and chopped crispy bacon you cooked earlier.