For the Love of the Stove

There's a restaurant here in Pittsburgh called Umi and the food there is so amazing, though ridiculously expensive.  There are so many good things on the menu but the one that stands out the most for me is the Rock Shrimp Tempura with Spicy Cream Sauce.  I decided I would try to recreate it.  I've come pretty close.  Here is the combination that I came up with.  I started with Masaharu Morimoto's Shrimp Tempura because the batter is so light.  You don't taste just breading and sauce.  It gives a great texture, or coating, to the shrimp and the sauce clings beautifully to the tempura.  It makes for the perfect balance for the bright and bold flavor of the sauce.
Shrimp Tempura
Ingredients
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 c all-purpose flour
1 t salt
1 c cold sparkling water
1/2 c ice water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 pounds shelled and deveined medium shrimp
Cornstarch, for dredging
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil to 350 degrees.  (I use my fry daddy instead - I find it so much easier.) Cover a baking sheet with a large wire rack and set it near the stove. 
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt.  Add the sparkling water, ice water and egg and stir with a fork just until blended; the batter can be a little lumpy.
3. Working close to the hot oil, dredge 8 shrimp in cornstarch, shaking off any excess.  Holding a shrimp in each hand, swirl them quickly through the batter and drop them into the oil.  Repeat with the remaining dredged shrimp.  Fry the shrimp until gold brown, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to the rack to drain.  Repeat with the remaining shrimp.  
4. Arrange the shrimp on a platter, or individual plates, and top with buffalo cream sauce (recipe follows).

Buffalo Cream Sauce
Ingredients
2 T butter
1 T flour
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 cup Frank's red hot sauce
2-3 T chicken stock
2 T heavy cream
Directions
1. Melt butter in small skillet over medium heat until bubbling.  Stir in flour and cook until the flour is slightly brown.
2. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder, stir.
3. Add hot sauce and chicken stock, cook 1 minute. 
4. Remove from heat and add heavy cream. If the sauce seems to thick, stir in another tablespoon of stock.  
5. Pour over shrimp tempura and serve immediately.