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rubychan
06-21-2005, 09:10 AM
Chocolate Dusted Scallops with Vanilla Butter Sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large sweet potato, peeled and sliced into gaufrettes
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon dried fennel seeds, toasted and ground
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons fine salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 pound sea scallops, patted dry
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 medium orange, segmented


Heat frying oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F.
In batches, add sweet potatoes to oil and fry until crispy, about 1 minute. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

In a shallow dish, combine the cocoa, fennel, cloves, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne. Lightly dredge 1 side of the scallops in the spice mixture, shaking to remove the excess.

In a large skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the scallops in batches as necessary and cook until just cooked through and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side, depending upon thickness. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

In a medium skillet, melt the sugar over medium heat. When it starts to caramelize, add the vinegar, wine, vanilla bean and seeds, zest and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the cream and cook until thickened and reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Lower the heat and whisk in the butter several pieces at a time, adding additional pieces just as the previous ones are almost incorporated. Remove from the heat and remove the vanilla bean. Stir in the orange segments and adjust the seasoning, to taste.

Spoon the sauce onto 4 plates and top with the scallops. Serve immediately with the sweet potato gaufrettes.


:confused:

sneezles
06-21-2005, 09:22 AM
My go-to veggies for an elegant meal are asparagus or haricot verts

Alethea
06-21-2005, 09:23 AM
Wow, there certainly are a lot of flavors going on in that dish. If you make it, please post a review. I'm really curious about it. Is it a main course, or an appetizer? I'm guessing a main course since you're looking for what to serve with it.

Since there are already sweet potatoes, I probably wouldn't add another starch. For a green veggie, maybe a simple salad as a first course? Delicate greens like mesclun, mache, or butter lettuce with a light citrus vinaigrette would be refreshing, and could also work following the scallop dish. If you wanted to serve a veggie with it, maybe very lightly sauteed zuchinni strips? Zucchini has such a mild flavor it wouldn't compete, and I think it pairs well with orange. Or maybe crisply steamed green beans or haricots verts?

rubychan
06-21-2005, 09:41 AM
i was thinking a light salad would be nice especially with a citrus vinagrette... to play off the orange...
i will let you know when i make it..
hopefully sometime this week!

rubychan
06-21-2005, 10:41 AM
does this even sound appealing to you all? i cant decide if it does to me or not...
i am a little frightened of the sweet taste with meat/seafood... i made the blueberries with chicken the other night and just couldnt get into it AT ALL.. there was something about it that just bothered me... i cant put my finger on it..but i think it had to do with the sweetness...
my husband loved it... but i dont think i will make it again..

but back to this dish.. does it seem like it will have a sweetness to it? i need a more experienced pallet to let me know....

Alethea
06-21-2005, 11:01 AM
Just my .02, but I think it will probably have a sweetness to it. The actual amount of sugar in the dish might not be as high as in the blueberry chicken, if I'm remembering that recipe correctly it has fruit as well as jam, but I think the cloves, cinnamon, orange, vanilla, and cream are going to add an overall "feeling" of sweetness to the dish. Unless the cocoa totally offsets it, which could be the case. I don't have a lot of experience using cocoa in savory recipes, other than moles.

I am an admitted lover of sweet and savory together, so I'm not necessarily thrown by that element, but I'm a little hesitant about cloves, cinnamon, and cocoa. Scallops are so mild and sweet tasting that I can't tell how they'll pair with these flavors. And in my experience, 3/4 te. cloves and 1 ta. cinnamon is a lot! I enjoy those flavors in savory dishes, but a little goes a long way. I'd have more trepidations about the spices than the sweetness, but that's just me. Sorry I haven't been more helpful, maybe someone else will chime in. I'll join you in sitting on the fence over this dish. ;)

sneezles
06-21-2005, 11:13 AM
I think with the 1/2 tsp of cayenne that it won't be very sweet at all. The cocoa will be like coffee just adding depth to the flavors. The sauce may be a bit sweet but it will be a nice contrast to the heat of the "rub". I have some bay scallops that I just may try this with...

rubychan
06-21-2005, 11:17 AM
yeah i figured the cocoa wouldnt impart any sweetness... but you are right on the cayanne... also. like you said it is a "rub" so not like the chx/blberry dish where the chicken sits and "stews" in the sweet jam and fruit..
if you try this before I do PLEASE post a review...

aggie94
06-21-2005, 11:21 AM
Originally posted by rubychan
does this even sound appealing to you all? i cant decide if it does to me or not...

I'll be completely honest - no, not in the slightest. In fact, it sounds disgusting. I love scallops, but I cannot see potentially wasting perfectly good (and expensive - I paid $18/pound last week for fresh sea scallops) as an "experiment." If you do try it, I would definitely suggest being your own guinea pigs and not trying to spring this on some unwitting dinner guests.

Sorry, that's JMHO.

rubychan
06-21-2005, 11:27 AM
see that is the thing... they are VERY expensive. but i really want to try and expand our horizons... sooooooo.... i think i am going to try it. the word chocolate in the title throws me off a bit... i know it had coca.. but when i think of chocolate i think of sweet ice cream ,etc...
so i take it you wont be popping over for dinner when i serve this, huh? ;)