Lonely Scallops

It was a Friday night, my roommate was out of town, and two of my friends were oddly in the same situation. What better way to bring the three loners together than to throw a ‘lone roommate’ dinner party?! The decision on what to make was fairly simple for once. Someone mentioned scallops earlier in the day and I was obsessed- I had to have scallops for dinner. Leafing through old issues of Gourmet, I came across a scallop recipe that seemed very simple to prepare, but also very elegant. Just what I wanted for this evening of wine and friends! Since I am never one to follow a recipe to a T, here is my twist on these heavenly, just-rich-enough seared scallops with tarragon and butter.

Scallops with Garlic Tarragon Butter Sauce (makes 3-4 servings)

Ingredients:

12 Sea Scallops, large (approximately 1 lb)

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 tbsp butter

¼ cup Dry White Wine such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc

¼ cup White Wine Vinegar

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 ½ tbsp Fresh Tarragon, finely chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste 

Method:

Using a paper towel, pat scallops completely dry. (This is an important step so the scallops sear in the pan and not steam) Season scallops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is just smoking, add scallops, spacing evenly, making sure not to crowd the pan. Sear scallops, without moving them, until golden brown on the bottom- approximately 3 minutes. Flip scallops and add 1 tbsp of butter to the pan. While second side is searing, spoon butter over the tops of the scallops. When scallops are just cooked through and golden brown on both sides (about 6 minutes total), remove from the pan and set aside on a platter.

Return pan to heat. Add wine, vinegar and garlic and bring to a boil, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. When the pan is clean, reduce heat to low and add half of the remaining butter. When butter is nearly melted, add the remaining butter and stir until incorporated. Add tarragon, then salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over the scallops and serve.

I had plenty of ideas as to what to serve the scallops with, but I ultimately decided on a creamy polenta and a medley of green beans and oyster mushrooms. Served with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, I think it’s fair to say that dinner was a hit and that should the occasion arise, there will be a lot more ‘lone roommate’ dinners in the future.

-Katrina

Church on Wednesday?

Feeling adventurous last Wednesday, a couple of friends and I decided to take a field trip to the depths of downtown Los Angeles. I’m not talking Staples Center adjacent here- I’m talking about warehouses and factories on East Industrial Street. Our destination was Church and State, a fairly new French bistro that has been getting a lot of buzz. Picture a crowded, bustling dining room with brick walls, high ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, low lighting and minimalist furnishings, with specials listed on chalkboards around the room. It was a simple yet elegant backdrop for our killer meal to come.

The gougeres that were brought out in place of a typical bread basket were the perfect way to jump start our appetites and were quite nice with our bottle of French red wine. In fact, I probably would have been completely content sipping on wine and eating the little cheesy morsels the rest of the evening. This, obviously, did not happen. The menu had so many interesting and intriguing dishes that we had difficulty narrowing down our choices. I use the term ‘narrowing down’ loosely, as we ended up ordering way too much food anyway. Some of our selections were fairly safe: Goat cheese and lavender honey served in a charming mason jar. Some sort of salad with apples. (I would tell you what else was on the salad, but in the words of Simon Cowell, “It was rather forgettable!") A caramelized onion, gruyere and bacon ‘tarte’ (sort of like a pizza/flatbread hybrid). And fall-apart-tender braised short ribs served with sour cherries and Brussels sprouts.

I don’t want to detract from how much we enjoyed the above dishes. I would happily order any of them again (except maybe the salad). However, I want to spend the next few minutes talking about the other two hors d’oeuvres we ordered. Remember how I said we were feeling adventurous? Well, we took the plunge and ordered both escargots de bourgone and moelle de boeuf, a roasted marrow bone!  Each escargot came soaked in garlic parsley butter in a little ceramic cup with a puff pastry lid. It was a very cute presentation and I must say, rather delicious. This could be because it tasted mostly like butter, but hey- whatever will get me to eat snails and say I like it! The texture of the escargot was very mushroom like, so nothing scary there. As for the bone marrow, I’m not sure there is anything scarier than a plate with nothing but a colossal bone, split down the middle, arriving at the dinner table. Now, I have tried bone marrow from an osso bucco bone before, and was pretty proud of myself- what was sitting in front of me now was a whole different animal (no pun intended). In addition to the initial shock of the presentation, the actual texture of the marrow was also a bit harrowing. The marrow was cooked with a lovely caramelization where exposed, but was rather gelatinous when scooped out. Getting past all of this, once spread onto a slice of grilled baguette, making sure to include some of the caramelized goodness, the marrow became sort of a whimsical ‘pâté’ and actually tasted pretty good. I’m not sure exactly how to describe the taste, but it was rich and savory with maybe just a hint of sweetness.

Our experience at Church and State was absolutely worth the drive downtown. The atmosphere was inviting, the service was pleasant and the overall affair, especially the extreme food, was definitely one to remember! 

www.churchandstatebistro.com  

- Katrina