chewingfat

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Some critics wince at the thought of seeing seared scallops on a menu. citing them as tired and passe. How can something that tastes and looks so good ever go out of style?

Here’s what you’ll need:
12 sea scallops
2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup Lobster stock (I had some from a previous recipe of bisque, recipe to come)
½ cup heavy cream
splash of cognac

The side of the scallop has a small muscle that gets very tough and chewy when cooked [photo 1]. Pull it off with your fingers. Place the scallops on some paper towel and pat dry [photo 2]. Add the oil and butter to a saute pan and get it smoking hot. Salt and pepper the scallops, don’t do this before you are ready to place them in the pan or the salt will bring too much moisture to the surface. Add the scallops to the pan, don’t over crowd. Sear the scallops for a minute or two on each side [photo 3+4], turning them only once. Once cooked, place them on a very hot plate as you’ll need a couple of minutes for the sauce.

Turn the heat down to medium. Using the same pan add the stock and cream, cook this down to a sauce like consistency. You can add a little butter to speed things up. Drizzle some sauce over the scallops and garnish with some chopped chives [photo 5].

fin

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This one nearly didn’t make it. At one point in this recipe I had all but given up. If you’ve ever had anything “break” on you while cooking you know how frustrating and hopeless it can make you feel. Rarely do these stories have happy endings. Thankfully this was a one of those rare occasions.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 6 ounces of good quality chocolate
• 3 tablespoons of butter (unsalted)
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1¼ cups heavy cream
• ¼ cup Bailey’s

  Other stuff you’ll need:

• Double boiler or a bowl placed over a pot of hot water
• Beater or mixer. Forget the whisk, you’ll kill yourself
• A few cold metal bowls
• Wooden spoon

  Start by separating your eggs. I crack them then pour the yolk in my hand letting the white slide into a bowl beneath, I find I break less yolks this way. Keep both the whites and the yolks separate (you only need one yolk), you’ll need them.

  Place the two egg whites in mixing bowl and add 2 tablespoons of sugar. Beat them until they are stiff.

  In a second bowl add the cream, Baileys and 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat until it forms into whipped cream.

  Break the chocolate into the bowl that sits over hot water and add the butter. Melt them together stirring frequently [photo 1+2]. Once the chocolate and butter are melted and incorporated add one yolk, beat well. This is where things literally broke down for me. I didn’t even take a photo to show the results as I had all but given up on the gritty, nasty mess. Fear not, the meringue like beaten egg whites are about to perform magic that would make Alton Brown himself applaud. Gently pour the egg white mixture into the chocolate disaster and stir. Keep stirring until you get a beautiful solid chocolate mixture. Once they are well incorporated fold in the whipped cream [photo 3], reserving a tad to top off the dessert and voila, mousse au chocolat [photo 4].

  
  
  
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  fin

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A colleague just sent me a link to blurb and I had to post it. This software allows you to create your own book, much like Apple’s photo book creator. I haven’t tried it yet but it looks great and the prices start at $29.95.

I haven’t posted in awhile as I’ve been away on holidays. I have a ton of posting to catch up on. Here’s the first…

While we were away we ate the Salt Rock Grill. My wife and I have eaten there for the past three years. While the decor is nice and the decent seats offer beautiful views of the Intercoastal waterway, it’s the food that brings us back.

The formula for the food at the Salt Rock is simple.

1. The freshest of everything – They have their own dayboat for multiple “catches of the day”.

1. A wood-burning grill – Most items are cooked over natural oak and citrus wood.

   On this visit I started with the tuna sashimi ($10.95). It came coated with sesame seeds, lightly seared, sliced ¼” thick with small dollops of wasabi and served with sake soy. This was absolutely perfect and I fully intend on knocking this one off. For the main I had a top sirloin steak and a king crab leg ($28.95), both grilled over the woodfire. They had a natural smokey taste that made this anything but the a typical surf and turf.

   Kudos to the kitchen staff, but even they can’t make up for the terrible service offered by our waiter, David W (as written on the bill).

   The service at the Salt Rock is always sub-par and seems to get worse every year. This year our experience began to decline when our waiter took our order and left before we had a chance to tell him what we wanted as appetizers. After that was sorted out we ordered some wines by the glass. We needed to inquire about these twice. When the main course came my wife had no knife as it was cleared away when the apps were done. We asked him three times about this. On the third request he acknowledged with a nod and his usual blank grin then proceeded to go to the bar and get our drink order, completely ignoring the request for cutlery. I was dumbfounded. The rest of the meal we were left to deliberate about what to do about the tip. I had never left a $0 tip before. If the tip is the customer’s mechanism to review the service, I needed a way to make sure he knew it was unacceptable. If I left $0 he may have perceived that I thought gratuities were included. If I left too much, but not as much as 15%, I would be perceived as cheap. I opted on leaving $7, just over 4%. Which, as I write this, seems like a gross overpayment. I would have liked to have left $0.01, but I didn’t have the nerve.

   Great food can’t make up for bad service.

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