Scallops with Orange-Caramel Sauce

We told you a couple of weeks ago about Dorie Greenspan's amazing cookbook Around My French Table, and the bloggers' group that we take part in, French Fridays with Dorie. Well, we did our own unofficial French Friday with Dorie - so unofficial it wasn't even Friday. And it wasn't the recipe of the week, but one that caught our eye when we first flipped through the book, even more so after we found some gorgeously enormous diver sea scallops at our local fishmonger's. 

It's scallops with caramel-orange sauce, and it's delicious, simple to make, and results in an elegant meal when paired with haricot verts (so French!!!) or your favorite side. We'll give you our unofficial version of the recipe through pictures and notes, but again, you really should buy this book! And no, we are not getting paid to tell you that!

Make a caramel by heating sugar over medium heat:

Carefully add white wine and orange juice, stir well, and boil until reduced by half;

then remove from heat and set aside.

Season scallops with salt and pepper and sear them on both sides

in a hot pan with a little olive oil.

Swirl some cold unsalted butter into the caramel sauce to finish it and

season it with a little salt and pepper.

Plate your scallops by pouring the sauce over them

and serving with some haricot verts or asparagus.

Go buy Around My French Table!

Apple Cider, Pancetta and Onion Risotto with Seared Sea Scallops

This meal is one we made from several different pairings of four basic ingredients. Those ingredients are: sea scallops, pancetta (Italian bacon), onion and apple cider. Each ingredient can easily be paired with another for a perfect, common, flavor combination: scallops and bacon; bacon and onions; apple and onions; you get the idea. So how can a cook go wrong by putting them all together?

We seared the scallops (perfectly, if we say so ourselves) by drying them well on a paper towel and putting them in a non-stick pan that has been pre-heated to super-hot (no oil!). The trick is to be patient and NOT to flip them until the pan is letting go. In other words, don't force the flip! If they are sticking, they are not perfectly seared. We sprinkled them with a pinch of pink salt and served them with this risotto that was seasonal and delicious.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 ounces diced pancetta

1 cup arborio rice

2 cups apple cider

2 cups water

salt to taste

Pour the apple cider and water into medium saucepan and set over medium-low heat. In a large skillet, heat the oil and saute the onion and pancetta together until they start to caramelize. Add the rice and stir until it begins to toast. Slowly add the cider/water liquid to the rice mixture, one ladle at a time, stirring well and adding more liquid only when the rice soaks up most of what is already in the skillet. Continue this process, stirring constantly, until the apple cider/water mixture is gone and rice is tender. Serve with seared scallops or your choice of protein.