AN-COOKED SCALLOPS with Red Pepper Puree and Blue Corn Cakes
Not only does this taste great, it just happens to be red (the peppers), white (the scallops), and blue (the cakes), so I've served it on the Fourth of July. Edible patriotic symbolism, you might say.
Serves 4
Blue Corn Cakes (page 195)
6 red peppers, roasted and peeled
'/г cup red wine vinegar
lh teaspoon cayenne Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
4 to 6 tablespoons clarified butter
2 pounds jumbo sea scallops, cleaned
and ready to cook 1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces and
kept cold1. Prepare batter for blue com cakes and set aside.
2. Puree the peppers in a food processor and remove to a bowl. Keep warm. Add vinegar, cayenne, and cracked black pepper to puree.
3. In a large skillet, working in batches, cook the com cakes in clarified butter. Keep them warm by placing between dry napkins. (It's important to have everything at hand, so you can complete the dish quickly. As is often the case with good food, it must be finished quickly so as not to lose the fleeting qualities of taste.)
4. Now, sautee the scallops in clarified butter. (You can use the same pan you used for the pancakes, just be sure to wipe it out first.) The scallops will only take a minute; saute them until they just turn opaque, then remove them to a warm bowl. Wipe out the pan and add the puree to it. Beat in the cold pieces of butter, adjust seasoning, and divide puree among 4 warm plates.
5. Arrange the scallops over the puree and add the com cakes in an attractive manner. Any collected juices from the scallops can be brushed lightly over them just before you serve.
A strllERB-CRUSTED, CHAR-GRILLED SWORDFISH with Lemon Butter
This is a light, healthy entree that could possibly be included in a spa-type cuisine menu, if you go in for that sort of thing. Personally, I could never manage self-imposed deprivation when it comes to flavors (lean live with light portions), so many of the spa adaptations leave me bored, untempted, and usually on my way to another section of the menu. But, good food is good food and if it happens to be healthy or "good for you" well hell, that's a happy coincidence. The swordfish can be accompanied with crisply blanched and sauteed green beans.
Serves 4
Sea salt to taste
'/з cup freshly squeezed lemon juice Cracked black pepper to taste V2 pound butter, softened P/2 cups chopped fresh herbs (any
combination of such herbs as parsley, thyme, basil, tarragon, chervil, or mint)
¥3 cup virgin olive oil, to bind the herbs to the fish
Four 7- to 8-ounce swordfish steaks, skin and any black meat removed (tuna, grouper, or salmon can be substituted for the swordfish)
1. Preheat a grih or broiler to maximum heat.
2. Mix the salt, lemon juice, and pepper into the softened butter.
3. Mix the herbs and oil together and then press on as much as will stick to the fish. (This should be done at least 30 minutes before cooking and can be done hours before.)
4. With a heavy cloth, oil the grid of the grill and then lay the swordfish steaks on it. Cook to medium-rare and remove to warm plates. Top each steak with 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) or less of the lemon butter. Reserve any leftover butter for other uses.
The lemon butter in this dish would suggest a dry white wine with good acidity, such as a Premier cru Chablis or Sancerre. A California Sauvignon Blanc would also work well. aightforward Macon Blanc Villages or White Rutty would suit this somewhat rustic preparation.