Archive for December, 2008
Before trying this recipe, I had never made scallops before. However, my boss and a coworker were constantly talking about how easy they are to cook. Eventually I broke down and decided to try my hand at it.
I can safely say that I'm a scallop convert. I will add this though. Cooking scallops is not as easy as they made it out to be. It is very easy to overcook them so you have to pay constant attention.
That night, the menu was comprised of ribeye steak, sauteed scallops in lemon basil sauce, and asparagus.
For the scallops, you will need:
4 Tablespoons Butter
2 Cloves Garlic, Diced
Chopped, Fresh Basil
1 Lbs Large Sea Scallops with Outer Muscle Removed
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
Kosher Salt or Sea Salt
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Using a heavy skillet, melt your butter on medium. Add your garlic, constantly moving them about with a spatula.
Add the basil and saute on medium-high. Continue to move the basil and garlic around the skillet. Add the scallops, circular side down. Watch them very carefully. Turn them over after 2 minutes or they start to get a very light-golden color.
Add your lemon juice and continue to stir. Once both sides are cooked, immediately remove the scallops from skillet. Season with salt and pepper and top with the lemon basil sauce.
This worked very well with the steak. The garlic and basil caramelized in the lemon juice to make a very tangy fresh tasting combination.
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[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="213" caption="Red Dragon Gourmet Cheese"][/caption]
I LOVE gourmet cheese. I can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour looking for the next one that I would like to try. Like wine, the flavor of cheese is dictated by the various conditions of its preparation. Everything from what the animal ate to how the cheese is aged will determine what flavors will result.
However, unlike wine, cheese doesn't get as much credit for such nuances.
It's a shame to because most people only know about the "cheese" made by Kraft or the off-brand varieties carried my supermarkets. To get really good cheese, you have to look to specialty stores, wine shops, and online.
While looking for a bottle of wine for a party I was going to attend, I noticed that the owner had laid out some samples of cheese they had in stock. It was on that day that I met my favorite cheese ever in life.
Red Dragon!
Red Dragon is a variety of cheddar imported from the UK and isn't very easy to find. In fact, this wine shop is the only place offline where I've been able to locate it. It has a very crumbly texture while cutting it, however, it becomes very creamy and smooth in your mouth. Packed with tiny mustard seeds, it has a very strong kick. I haven't verified it yet but I believe horseradish may even be one of the ingredients.
Anyway, this cheese is far from the norm and has a definite spicy bite to it. If you enjoy gourmet cheese, I definitely recommend trying Red Dragon.
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