Ford Freedom Awards May 17

(WJBK) - The Ford Freedom Awards celebrates African American men by recognizing their professional excellence, commitment to family and strong personal character. This year's recipients include Reginald F. Lewis (posthumously), Dave Bing, Kerlin Blaise, Jonathan Butler and Shaka Senghor.

The ceremony is Tuesday, May 17 at 6 p.m. at the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center. It benefits the Charles H. Wright Museum. You can get ticket information here.

Shawn Wilson from the Ford Motor Company joined us on The Nine to tell us more about the event. He was joined by Chef Travis Dobosenski, whose food will be at the event. You can find his recipe for shrimp and grits below.

SHRIMP AND GRITS (10 each)
20 large Raw Shrimp
1/8 cup Blackening Seasoning
1 pt Lemon Creme
10 Squares of Parm Grit Cake
½ cup Scallions, Cut
3 fl oz Canola Oil

Dry Shrimp with towel and toss with Blackening seasoning.  Sauté prawns in a hot pan with canola oil until done.  Heat Grit cake squares in 325 degree oven until reaches internal temperature of 165 degrees.  Place grit cake on plate with two shrimp on top.  Squeeze Lemon Crème over top and sprinkle top with cut scallions.

BLACKENING SEASONING
Yield: 1/3 cup
Paprika  1 TBS.
Kosher Salt 2 ½ TBS
Garlic powder 1 TSP.
Black pepper ¾ TSP.
Onion Powder 1 TSP.
Cayenne pepper 1 TSP.
Dried Oregano ½ TSP.
Dried thyme ½ TSP.
Chipotle Pepper ½ TSP.
White Pepper ¾ TSP.

Method:
Mix all the ingredients together. Store in an airtight container.

PARM GRIT CAKE
Yield: 1 Full Sheet Tray
7qts Chicken Stock
1qt White Wine
3.5 Cups Grits
2 Cups Parmesan

Method:
Bring stock and wine to a boil. Using the large hand mixer add the grits slowly, cook for 3-5 minutes on slow heat, add parmesan cheese and fill a full sheet tray.  Cool in cooler.  Cut in squares and reheat in oven at 325 covered until reaches internal temperature of 165.