Scallops At Home

I'm not sure if I try to make James something special dinner when I am home for a brief stop before another work trip because I love him or because I want him to miss me when I'm gone.
Today I came home from a mad Costco stop up run with a tray of beautiful wild scallops and just a couple hours later James was digging into a delicate gratin of butter sautéed mollusks topped with Beecher's handmade flagship cheese picked up at the cheese merchants airport store in Seattle (airport cheese store -- genius!).

Trying Something A Little Special

I try to find little treats for James when I can.
The fish monger at the farmer's market had beautiful dry scallops just waiting for my skillet. Dry scallops are shucked on the boat much like wet scallops but instead of being plunged into cold water (and often preservatives or chemical salts) they are kept dry. They don't plump up absorbing water so the flavor is more concentrated, more pure scallop.
I didn't have to do much to make these special. I seared the scallops (seasoned with salt and pepper) quickly in a hot pan with about 1/4 of cup olive oil, 3 sliced cloves of garlic and a bit of butter then removed them to a waiting bowl. Scallops cook quickly and in about 3-4 minutes even these jumbos were finished. Into the pan went the juice of 2 lemons, 2 tsp chopped rosemary, and a pinch of red paper flakes. I let the juice reduce and then added in the scallops (and collected juices) and a small pat of butter, gave everything a good toss to coat with the lemony butter sauce and served the mollusks over steamed broccoli and tiny new potatoes from our garden. Three of James' favorites on one simple but still special plate.

Oven Baked Polenta

I'd heard it was possible. I was skeptical. How could polenta left on its own in the oven come close to the creamy sublime texture brought forth from near ceaseless stirring?

With a whisk I mixed one cup of polenta, two cups of chicken broth (okay not traditional but I thought it would make my "diet" portion a little more flavorful), 2 cups of water, a few sprigs of thyme, S&P and a crushed clove of garlic in a 2 quart pot. After 50 minutes (uncovered) in a 350º oven I stirred in a pat of butter. On a normal non-diet day I would have mixed in some grated cheese or milk too. Ten minutes later I had creamy soft luscious polenta. No one would ever guess how easy it was. I'm gonna try this one for guests -- just when you need your hands free. I topped James' "hands-off" polenta with braised chard and buttery seared scallops.

A Tidy Little Package

I needed something easy. Not too much to clean up and easy on the diet. I'm, once again, trying to eat light, and yet make food that's tasty enough for James without making two totally separate dinners. Some nights I make James an extra sauce or add a sprinkling of cheese. Tonight I went for totally customizable tin foil packets -- an American version of "en papillote" with tin foil replacing the more elegant artfully folded parchment paper in the French original. No matter how you wrap it, these packets essentially steam in their own juices puffing up to a dramatic presentation. For mine I added the vegetables and scallops with just a sprinkle of salt and pepper. For James I layered sliced red onion, scallops, tomatoes (ok those were only in mine), arugula, fresh corn kernels (James' favorite part), and chopped basil on a bed of white wine, olive oil and butter. I closed up the packet and popped it in a 450º oven. Twelve minutes later we had a light, diet friendly dinner, heavy on the vegetables -- and ready two ways.

Dinner With Shari

A little after work dinner with our friend Shari. I planned to make scallop and corn fritters, using up some of our leftovers from the other night. I must have been talking or distracted and not measured the flour correctly because my usually puffy thick fritter batter (oyster fritters are a specialty) ended up more like batter fried bits of scallop and corn. Not at all what I intended. Not that pretty to look at. But a happy accident just the same. Crispy and delicious.

The salad was a quick combo of Rosette de Lyon salami (mild and yummy), red onion, honeydew melon, fresh mint and loose leaf lettuce with a peppery vinaigrette. Simple and fresh.

Dinner With Denny

I needed an easy, make-ahead, look like I can do it in my sleep kind of dinner for a friend of James' that was coming to dinner. Costco had a big tray of scallops on a super sale. I figured I could build a dinner around them.

We started off with a tray of cheeses and paté easy and always a hit. And, another good excuse to use our home candied kumquats. Then for our meal I steamed some asparagus and dressed them with sliced blood oranges, olive oil, sesame oil, and toasted hazelnuts.
Though they got a little crispy on top these baked scallops really are the ultimate convenience food. With the oven set to 375º I melted some butter with white wine and snippets of prosciutto and sliced garlic in an enamel pan. Then I added in the scallops and coated them in the sauce, and topped the whole dish with crumbled ritz crackers (I can hardly believe it myself) and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. The scallops baked for 10 minutes and then I put them under the broiler for 3 (should have been two) to crisp.
As a second side dish I pulled our a recipe I have been saving for eons. Roasted radishes. The trimmed radishes are sautéed for two minute sin hot oil and then put into a 500º over for 15 minutes to cook through. Then back on the fire I added in butter, lemon juice, and the reserved radish greens just until they wilted. The radishes were the hit of the night. Now there is a seldom heard phrase. But, it'll be more common around here soon.

Scallops and Broccoli

It seems an unlikely combination. But after searching the fridge and finding a few online references to pasta sauces and stir-frys, I decided to whip up this simple broccoli scallop combo. James loves broccoli.

More or less following a recipe from Jacques Pepin (how bad can that be?) I spilled 3 TB of olive oil in a large skillet with a lid and tossed in some crushed red chiles and two minced cloves of garlic. After a quick stir I added in 1/3 cup broccoli, about a pound of broccoli florets and a pinch of salt. I covered the pan and let the broccoli cook for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile I tossed the scallops with a TB of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and 1/4 tsp dried thyme and seared them on both sides in a hot pan. I plated the broccoli and scallops and served them drizzled with a quick balsamic vinaigrette (2 parts oil, 1 part balsamic vinegar) S&P). Not so elegant maybe, but no complaints from James.

Scalloped Scallops

I've made the bistro dish Coquille St Jacques dozens of times. His Highness loves scallops and just when you think there is no way to make the tender mollusk better, the French step it by bathing the tender scallops in cream sauce tempered with sautéed mushrooms and a bit of nutty Gruyere cheese. The mixture is layered into a ramekin or more often a scallop shell and baked or broiled until the sauce is bubbly, the scallops are just barely cooked and the top is slightly crisp. Although it's a dish I've made many times I decided to change things a bit and try a new recipe. This time I looked to Thomas Keller. I'm not sure if its the time the dish waited for me (okay I took some on-line advice and actually froze the ramekins and then thawed before cooking) or the recipe itself, but I am going back to the tried and true, Anthony Bourdain's (yes that guy) cheesy creamy delicious version.

The real star of this dinner was the fresh salad -- greens from our garden, fresh strawberries from the farmers market, blood orange sections from our front yard tree (the last precious orange) slivered almonds, and a tart vinaigrette made of blood orange juice, olive oil, minced shallots, and S&P. A taste of early spring.

Autumn Scallops

James loves scallops. I love chestnuts. When fall comes around I am constantly looking for an excuse to stir in a few chestnuts. Yes, I usually use vacuum packed chestnuts (except for Christmas eve when I generally try to roast a pan for us to nibble), and yes I could get those any time of year . . . but somehow autumn (into winter) is the only time that seems right. A stab for seasonality in our round the year, ship anything, anytime world.

This simple sauce was just leeks and bacon cooked until soft in a bit of butter, a bit of cognac flamed, vacuum packed chestnuts and chicken broth simmered until soft and pureed in the blender. I added a bit of cream and a hefty dose of S&P. With hot oil in the pan -- before I put the scallops into sear -- I tossed in some fine rosemary leaves (I would have used sage but we didn't have any handy -- I have to remember to plant some) just until crisp and set them aside on a paper towel. I laid the scallops in the hot oil and basted with melted butter as they cooked through. To serve I poured a bit of the warm sauce on the plate, laid the scallops on top and garnished with the rosemary leaves.

James scraped up the leftover sauce with toast -- success!

Seemingly Special for Saturday

"You could serve these at one of our dinner parties," James declared between bites. "This and not much else."

That's the highest complement James gives -- tempered with his regular criticism that I make too much or too many things when people come to dinner. None the less this simple dinner seemed to do the trick -- felt like a Saturday night but quick and easy enough for a Wednesday.

Saturday mornings I generally go to the neighborhood farmer's market. In spite of the recent very warm weather the cauliflower looked extra nice so I picked up a head and figured I'd come up with something. I nabbed the extra large scallops last night when work ended nearly at the doorstep of my favorite fish store. The big man wasn't hungry for dinner Friday -- so I had to use those scallops.

I thought about brown butter sauce, Coquille St Jacques (another of His Highness' favorites), but I kept coming back to that fresh cauliflower -- until I hatched a plan. Pan-seared, prosciutto-wrapped scallops with cauliflower puree and fresh arugula salad.

I broke the cauliflower up into florets (about one inch or so) and popped them in a saucepan of boiling water until tender. I drained the cauliflower (reserving some of the cooking water) and put it in the bowl of the food processor with S&P and a bit of the reserved water (very little). I gave this mixture a good turn in the processor getting it almost smooth. In the meantime I browned a little butter on the stove (when the butter was half-browned I popped in a crushed glove of garlic).

While the cauliflower was cooking I took half (lengthwise) a slice of prosciutto and wrapped it around each scallop and secured with a toothpick. I seasoned each side with S&P and put them aside until the cauliflower was ready.

In a sauté pan I heated a combination of olive oil and butter over high heat until very hot and added in the scallops. These were such big scallops that I was able to leave them to sear for about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes on the first side -- we like a nice dark sear. When I turned the scallops I added the brown butter to the cauliflower in the food processor and allowed it to run until very smooth.

To serve add a good dollop of cauliflower purée to your plate, top with fresh arugula, a sprinkle of parmesan and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar. Remove the toothpicks and place the seared scallops on (or more like in) the arugula, and drizzle with a bit of the cooking oil. Dinner is served.