Shrimp Remoulade Crostini

Ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise (Low-fat is fine.)
2 Tbl dry mustard
2 Tbl vegetable oil
1 Tbl balsamic vinegar
2 Tbl prepared horseradish
1 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
3 or 4 dashes hot sauce (You choose the brand.)
4 green onions, thinly sliced (Up to half of the greens too.)
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 Tbl Italian parsley
2 cloves garlic (Jar garlic is fine.)

3 stalks celery cut into half-inch pieces
1-1/2 to 2 pounds cooked shrimp, tails removed (30-40 count-sized shrimp are ideal.)
1 loaf crusty French bread (baguette)
Olive oil spray

Put the first 12 items directly in your blender. Blend on Medium speed until fully mixed and the pieces of produce and parsley have been broken up into a smooth sauce. Store in your refrigerator for serving later.

When you are ready to serve:

Drain the shrimp if they are in a bag with ice water. Put them in your serving bowl directly from the refrigerator. You want them to be very cold. Pour on the sauce and put in the other chopped celery. The extra celery gives it a nice extra crunchiness. (You can do this a couple of hours ahead if you don't want to do it right when you are serving. Just don't do it so far ahead that the shrimp turn to mush.)

Cut the bread on an angle to make ovals. Spray one side with olive oil. Leave the other side plain. Toast the bread in your oven on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 6 to 7 minutes. You just want to warm up the bread and make it crispy. It doesn't have to be brown.

While the bread pieces are warm, serve them with the shrimp. This appetizer is best with the warm bread and the cold shrimp but, as the bread cools, it will still be a crowd pleaser.

Put a spoon in the bowl so your guests can scoop out a shrimp or two with the lumpy sauce and put it on their bread and eat it. It's a little sloppy but so good! If you want to be neater, you can give them little plates to put the shrimp and sauce on with the bread pieces at the side.