Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021
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BAKED SCALLOPS IN WINE SAUCE
Makes 6-8 first-course servings; 4 main course
Ingredients:
1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 ounce)
1 1/4 cups dry white wine
1 cup clam juice or fish stock
1/2 small onion, sliced
1/2 Turkish or 1/4 California bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon Cognac or Brandy (optional but recommended)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 pound sea scallops, tough muscle removed from the side of each if necessary, and scallops cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/2 pound small mushrooms, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced lengthwise
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
pinch of cayenne (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
1. Mix the Panko and Parmesan cheese with 2 tablespoons of melted butter and set aside.
2. Add wine, clam juice, onion, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to a heavy saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer until reduced to about 1 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour the cooking liquid through a sieve into a bowl and set aside. Wipe out the saucepan with a paper towel.
3. Cook the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the cognac, lemon zest, and scallops and mix to coat the scallops. (You’re not cooking the scallops at this point.) Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
4. Whisk together the cream and egg yolk in a heatproof bowl.
5. Make a roux by melting 2 tablespoons butter to the cleaned saucepan over moderately low heat, then add the flour and cook stirring until the roux begins to turn a pale golden color.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and add the reduced cooking liquid in a stream, whisking constantly. Return the pan to heat and simmer, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens.
7. Pour the sauce in a slow stream into the cream mixture, whisking constantly, then pour the sauce back into the pan, add the pinch of cayenne, and simmer, whisking for a minute. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
8. Stir scallops and mushrooms into the sauce, then divide among scallop shells or oven-safe ramekins and sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture.
9. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan in the upper third of the oven and bake for about 15 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.
10. Garnish with finely chopped parsley as a first course, or as a main course with warm Sweet Potato Puree piped or spooned around the edge of the scallops accompanied by a salad.