Monday, July 29, 2013

Rosie Makes Seared Caramelized Scallops With A Champagne Vinaigrette.

 
 Ooooh, boy.
I loved this dinner,
but then you know how I love my scallops.

I adapted this recipe from something I saw 
Bobby Flay make on the Food Network the other day.
It's seared, caramelized scallops
served with a green pea champagne vinaigrette.

Bobby's recipe called for fresh peas.
I can't get fresh peas here,
so I used frozen.

Bobby's recipe called for champagne vinegar.
I ain't paying $16 for a baby bottle of champagne vinegar
when I can get a totally drinkable bottle of champagne for $8.99.
As Mr. Hawthorne says, I'm a cheap date.
I only needed 1/4 cup of champagne for the vinaigrette,
so that meant I had to finish the rest of the bottle by myself..
Don't you just hate it when that happens?
Oh, the things I must do for my readers.


 Green Pea Vinaigrette
1 cup frozen green peas, blanched in salted water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup champagne
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 TB honey
1 capful white distilled vinegar
freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt
2 TB fresh chopped mint
2 TB freshly chopped parsley

Bring salted water to a boil.
Pour in peas.
Blanch for about one minute.
Plunge into an ice water bath
to set the bright green color and stop the cooking.

Whisk rest of ingredients together.
Stir in peas.
Let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes
so the flavors can meld together.

Mix the mustard in with the olive oil.
Add in the honey.
Whisk in champagne.
Where's the bottle?!!?

A little Kosher salt.

Capful of white vinegar.

Mint and parsley.

Peas in.

 Taste test.
I love minty green peas!
Adjust dressing if you need to.
Let the mixture sit for at least 30 minutes
to allow the flavors to blend.
 
   I love champagne!!

While my peas were bathing
in the champagne vinaigrette,
I went to work on the scallops.
Rinse first,
then pat dry with paper towels.
 See that little tab on the side of the scallop?

  Pull it off.
 It's easy to remove.

This is the adductor muscle of the scallop 
 and it holds the two shells together.
The scallop uses this muscle to clamp
its shell shut to defend itself.
The scallop also uses this muscle
to clap their shells together quickly,
which moves a jet of water out
and propels the scallop forward.

A lot of people eat this muscle,
but I don't like it.
It's  tough, stringy, 
and invariably gets stuck in my teeth.


 Dispose of the muscles.
 
 Here, Dogwood, kittykittykitty!
He's probably got the munchies now,
since he's been into the nip.

  I want my scallops to caramelize
when I sear them,
so I'm adding a little turbinado sugar,
or sugar in the raw.
You could use regular white sugar,
but the brown has better flavor.
 I never salt my scallops,
but I do add freshly ground pepper.

Heat 1 TB butter and 1 TB peanut oil
over medium high heat.
Add in the scallops
and leave them alone.
Let them cook about one minute
or until they release themselves from the pan.
If you try to force them,
you'll tear the scallops and leave the goodie bits in the pan.
Cook about 1 minute on each side.
Never overcook a scallop.

Remove scallops from pan and plate.
Add green pea vinaigrette over scallops.
And if you want to deglaze the pan
with some white wine,
scraping up the goodie bits,
by all means go ahead.
I won't stop you.
And then if you want to swirl some
 pats of butter in the pan to enrich the sauce,
again, I won't stop you.

 
 Bon appétit!