As some of you are aware, I was recently invited to be a guest chef at the BOKX 109 restaurant in Newton, MA. This was a very special event for me, a dream come true, some of the pictures which can be seen here. Chef Jarrod Moiles suggested we prepare scallops, and we both did. Here is the recipe I created for my scallop preparation, a southern-inspired version of a traditionally French dish. Above, it is shown as an appetizer, but Julia and I recently feasted on a plate of these.
Ingredients
- Large fresh sea scallops (as many as you want!)
- 2/3 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup Kentucky bourbon
- Juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 1 medium shallot, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1/2 pound of butter, very cold
- 1 cup heavy cream, reduced to 1/3 cup (optional)
- Salt and black pepper
- Cooking oil
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted (to finish)
- 2 ounces white wine (to finish)
- Coarse ground pepper (to finish)
Start by making the beurre blanc sauce. In a small sauce pan, add a tablespoon of butter, the minced shallot, garlic and the black peppercorns, and sauté until the shallot is translucent. Add the white wine, lemon juice and bourbon, and simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Strain the sauce to remove the shallots and pepper and return the sauce to the sauce pan.
Now, remove heat from the sauce pan. It and the sauce should still be warm. Begin adding the very cold butter, about 2 tablespoons at a time, and stirring it into the sauce, slowly incorporating it, so the sauce remains smooth and the butter does not separate. Keep doing this until all the butter is used. You may occasionally need to add a little heat to keep the pan warm enough to melt the butter, but mostly, only patience will be required. At this time, the sauce is ready, but it may be stabilized and kept for a couple of hours by adding 1 cup of heavy cream which has been reduced to 1/3 cup. This is optional, and is not required if you are using the sauce right away.
We have talked about cooking scallops before. They must not be overcooked – ever ! Really – never ! Fortunately, this is easily avoided. Lightly salt and pepper the scallops. In a heavy skillet, heat a 50-50 mixture of canola and olive oil until it is very hot, but not smoking. Add the scallops to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd them. Allow them to cook on one side until quite seared, about 1 minute. Flip them over and do the same to the other side. At the last instant, splash the pan with 2 tablespoons of melted butter and 2 ounces of white wine, and remove the scallops after about 10 seconds.
Your scallops are ready. Simply plate them and top with the beurre blanc. I added a little coarse ground pepper to the top, just for a little extra taste and visual appeal.
ckentmills / TASTE 