This week Gary and I celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary. Rather than fighting the holiday crowds at restaurants, we decided to dine at home. Gary offered to cook as long as he was free to experiment with some new ingredients. I asked for scallops and he settled on the following: A Scallop and Cauliflower Combo.
There was no wait, our table was perfect and the service was great!
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A Scallop and Cauliflower Combo
7 Tablespoons Canola Oil (not Olive)
6 large dry packed scallops*
½ head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
2 green onions, use green part only and cut into matchstick size pieces
Use a large iron skillet (Gary’s favorite cooking tool).
Heat 4 tablespoons oil, add the cauliflower and cook for about 6 minutes until crisp but tender. Remove from pan.
Add 2 tablespoons additional oil and heat. Sear the scallops until nicely browned and cooked through (about 3 minutes per side). Remove to plate lined with paper towel to drain. Next, add 1 tablespoon oil to pan and the chopped shallot. Sauté for 1 minute then add the cauliflower to the pan. Add the wine and the chicken broth. Be sure to scrape all the brown bits into the sauce and cook for additional two minutes. Add the scallops back to the pan and “finish” by adding the 2 tablespoons butter and heating the scallops thoroughly – a minute or two. Remove all from heat and transfer to heated plates. Garnish with the green onion pieces.
*Dry-packed scallops are shucked, packed and shipped on ice without chemical additives.
Gary served this with a salad of organic red lettuce and butter lettuce, with pears, cranberries and toasted walnuts. He also made his “house dressing”, which is a champagne vinaigrette.
Gary’s Champagne Vinaigrette
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste