Inside the Box - Part Deux

Sometimes people send me nasty emails. I got one this week after I sent the weekly newsletter with the recipe and video for "Seafood Au Gratin." This particular recipe, which I copied word-for-word and step-by-step from the inside of the Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry box (mentioned in the video), called for garlic powder and chopped parsley to be added to the bechamel.

So the email was very curt: "You're a chef. You should know you never use garlic powder and you never cook parsley."

Really?

Well, truth be told, I wasn't really cooking either one. I added each as a flavoring agent. And then I used more parsley as garnish to add a little color to the dish.

Anyway, each is entitled to his or her opinion. I liken this to my recipe for Tiramisu, the delicious Italian dessert that uses ladyfingers dipped in espresso with mascarpone and cream. I've often said that this is but one version. And there are probably tens of thousands more that have slight variations. In fact what I said was that there was probably a tiramisu recipe for every grandma in Italy.

Nevertheless, my recipe this week is not an original. It is, as noted above, from the inside of the puff pastry box. And the reason I called this week's blog "Part Deux" is because a few weeks ago I used another recipe from inside the same box -- for White Chocolate Mousse.

So I don't have very much else to say about this recipe because it speaks for itself. The technique for making the sauce is fairly classic: A roux, consisting of equal parts of unsalted butter and all-purpose flour, then some milk that is stirred until it's hot enough that the roux thickens it. Then further thickening with the addition of shredded cheese.

Actually, there is one other note on this. A colleague who is a personal chef asked if this dish could be frozen. The answer is a resounding "No." Roux-based cheese sauces do not freeze well. They become grainy as the ice crystals work their way into the sauce. And puff pastry couldn't stand up to the humidity that is part of every freezer.

So here's the video, followed by the recipe. And don't worry about the garlic powder and parsley. I give you my permission to cook with both.

10 puff pastry shells
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 lb scallops, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Bake pastry shells according to package directions.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt half of the butter. Add the shrimp and scallops and cook until done -- about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Add mushrooms and garlic powder to the pan and cook over medium heat until tender. Set mushroom mixture aside.

In another pan, add the remaining butter and stir in flour until smooth. Add milk and cook until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer until the mixture thickens. Add the cheese and the parsley and cook over low heat until the cheese is completely melted and incorporated into the sauce.

Return seafood and mushrooms to the pan you cooked them in and heat through.

Divide among the puff pastry shells and pour the sauce over. Garnish with additional parsley.

Sweetness from the Sea

http://widget.foodieblogroll.com/?BlogID=18145 I've always wondered why the word(s) for scallops in French is Saint Jacques. Coquille Saint Jacques was a very popular dish in the old classic French restaurants, usually nicely cooked scallops in a flavorful cream sauce and often served in a scallop shell.

Somewhere along the way, however, chefs discovered that a better way to cook sea scallops was to sear them in butter until they turn a deep golden brown. Once that has been achieved on both sides, the scallop is cooked through. Take it too far, though, and you have an overcooked scallop that is rubbery and not very good eating.

Ever since I began operating my own small cooking school, I've had every student learn to make seared sea scallops. I love this dish and it can stand on its own dressed with the butter used in the pan to cook it.

So I decided to bring the lesson to my TV viewers, my blog followers, my Facebook and Twitter friends, to demonstrate the proper way to sear sea scallops and, along the way, make a very flavorful sauce accompaniment, the classic beurre blanc.

Let us begin, then with the method for making the aforementioned sauce. There are actually two approaches to beurre blanc and it depends on what you're going to serve it with. The one I make in this episode is made with a full cup of dry white wine. If I were serving something that needed a little acidic component, then I would have made it with a half cup of dry white wine and a half cup of white wine vinegar.

You'll see in the episode, through time lapse, that the wine (and wine vinegar if using) are reduced until there is, perhaps, a scant tablespoon of liquid left in the pan. This is what is called au sec in cooking school, which means "almost dry." This is when the gradual addition of butter cubes -- a stick and a half in all -- begins.

Because you are using whole butter (as opposed to clarified), while keeping the sauce warm it may "break," meaning that the fat has separated from the milk solids and water content. A vigorous whisking usually resolves this. One other technique I show my students for keeping a sauce warm is to use the double boiler method, with the water at a bare simmer. The other important aspect of this is to drape a paper towel across the top of the saucepan and then place the lid on top of that. There will inevitably be some steam vapor created and the paper towel will absorb it, so that when you remove the lid, the water droplets will not fall into your sauce and dilute it.

I like to use a non-stick pan to sear my sea scallops. It's just one measure I take to ensure that the tender flesh of the scallop does not stick to the pan, even though I'm using a fair amount (3 Tablespoons) of butter. While the first side of the scallop is cooking, you will see the edges begin to brown and it's okay to use a pair of tongs to lift the scallop slightly to check the progress of the browning. Once you see that golden brown color over most of the surface of the scallop, it's time to turn and do the same on the other side.

By the way, you can make beurre rouge using red wine (and red wine vinegar if appropriate). The quantities and method stay the same.

Here's the video, followed by the recipe for both beurre blanc and seared sea scallops:

2 shallots, finely diced
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1 Tbsp pats
1/2 cup dry white wine
dash cayenne pepper
1 pound sea scallops, abductor muscle removed
3 Tbsp unsalted butter

To make the beurre blanc, melt 2 Tbsp butter in a large skillet. Add shallots, wine and cayenne. Simmer over medium heat until the liquid has almost evaporated. Add the rest of the pats of butter, one at a time and let melt before adding the next pat of butter.

Strain sauce into a small pot and keep warm. A double boiler works well.

To make the scallops, be sure the scallops are completely patted dry. Salt and pepper each side. Melt 3 Tbsp butter in a non-stick pan. When butter is completely melted and bubbling, add scallops and cook on first side until golden brown. Carefully turn each scallop and cook until the second side is golden brown.

Place about 2 Tbsp of beurre blanc on appetizer plates, Place 3 or 4 scallops on top of sauce and serve, garnished with fresh chopped parsley.