Thursday night dinner

Tonight I made coquilles Saint Jacques. I thought this was going to be very difficult and take a long time. It actually was not time consuming nor difficult. I was not sure what order to do things and I think I did it a little backwards. I think next time I will prepare it in the order in which I read the recipe. I made my duxelles first, the my sauce, then cooked the scallops. Next time (and there definitely will be a next time with this recipe), I will cook my scallops, make my duxelles and then my sauce. Regardless of the order in which I prepared this dish, it was magnifique!

Ingredients

Scallops

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound scallops
• 1 pinch Salt and pepper

Duxelles

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 pound mushrooms
• 2 shallots, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoons GF flour
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup fish stock
• 2 tablespoons crème fraîche
• Lemon juice to taste

Topping

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 6 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

Scallops

1. Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan. Season the scallops and sear one minute per side, to brown. Do not cook completely. Set aside.
2. To assemble the dish: Heat the oven to broil with the rack at the top. Lay 6 large scallop shells or individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Divide the mushroom mixture among the shells. Arrange six scallops on each, then spoon over the sauce. Add topping (see instructions) and broil until golden and bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Duxelles

1. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan until foaming. Add the shallot and sauté until soft. Add the mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms have released all their liquid and the pan is dry, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir through the parsley.

Sauce

1. Melt the butter in the sauté pan until foaming. Add the shallot and cook until soft. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Whisk in the wine and boil down by half. Add the stock and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the crème fraîche. Check the seasonings, adding salt, pepper, and lemon juice if needed.

Topping

1. Scatter parsley and breadcrums over scallops and mushroom mixture. Drizzle melted butter over entire dish.