Cook Like Mad

On our trip to North Carolina earlier this year, D and I learned many things about Southern food culture, some we expected, some we did not. I knew NC barbecue sauce was vinegary and it nearly always covered meat from a pig, but I was surprised-happily, of course- to see the number of ways Southerns cook cornmeal. D and I found between our teeth corn pone, cornbread, hush puppies both short and long, and cornmeal-coated everything. I had eaten hush puppies and cornbread up North, but not like this. I was used to dry, bland cornbread and hush puppies, made with instant mixes and the hush puppies fried so long they looked like lumps of coal. I needed this corn education in the South to show me how cornmeal could be made into tasty, craveable food.

My first lesson came at Speedy’s BBQ in Lexington, NC. D and I had heard that there was great barbecue to be had just south of Winston-Salem, so we made the 20 mile drive to Lexington to see what the fuss was about. Upon first glance we thought we’d be taken for fools- there was a gas station, a few hardware stores, and a surprisingly cute downtown area including a candy “shoppe” that looked straight out of the 1920s, but no Speedy’s. To be fair, we had passed another barbecue joint whose name I can’t recall, on the way into town, and it was pretty packed, but it wasn’t the place we had heard of online (thank god for the iPhone in times of barbecue need…), and we had our hearts set on finding our destination food stop. A few turns later and about to go back to the first barbecue place we happened upon, we found ourselves at Speedy’s, and the smell and sight of the smoker out back immediately assured us that we were in for a treat. Our waitress, totally emotionless and disinterested in our eagerness, at us down at a booth by the window and asked us for our drink order. D got a sweet tea, I got a coke, and what she brought to us were two pitchers of each. Ok, so even before the barbecue came out, I knew I liked this place- a pitcher meant, “even though we’re serving good food fast, if you want to linger, you’re more than welcome to.”

Soon our food came out, hush puppies, fries, and pork sandwiches- chopped and coarsely chopped, for D and me, respectively. The not-too-sweet, vinegary, thin sauce was light in color (demonstrating a lack of molasses) and heavy on flavor. The tang of the sauce went perfectly with the chopped pork, slightly fatty, mostly lean, and the soft bun could barely contain it. I asked for my sandwich with slaw on the side, and the odd, nearly pulverized cabbage mix that the waitress brought out was not was I expected, but delicious. I added it to my sandwich, and it rounded the flavors out nicely. (Side note: one of my favorite dishes is Choucroute Garnie, an Alsatian dish that involves braising various pork products in sauerkraut, so you can understand my enthusiasm for this American South flavor combination.) The hush puppies were wonderful as well- moist, deep golden brown (but not too brown!) and they had a slightly sweet n’ salty thing going on that I quite liked. Being too full to check out that old time candy shoppe in the middle of town, D and I bought Speedy’s BBQ t-shirts as souvenirs and hit the road.

My second lesson on cornmeal and its culinary applications in the south came at Mama Dips’ Kitchen in Chapel Hill, NC. God, this place made me wish I went to UNC, Chapel Hill… From the time we walked in the front door, we knew we’d set foot in an institution. The first thing you see when you walk in is the restaurant’s gift shop posing as a reservation desk. Here you can buy Mama Dip’s t-shirts, her signature barbecue sauce, her cookbooks (yes, she’s published more than one, and yes, I bought one), and numerous other goodies, all of which you will see as essential items to stock up on once you taste her food. Soon, we pass into the main dining room, unable to ignore the seemingly endless hallway of framed recognitions to our right.

Once we’re seated, our waitress quickly comes with the menus and takes our drink order- another sweet tea and another coke, please. We look at the menu and immediately panic as any good foodie does in a place you know you won’t be able to come back to for a while. There were too many choices. I mean way too many choices, like three panels of 9-point font, single-spaced lists of menu items. Needless to say, D and I took a deep breath and ordered. And with our order came the most incredible corn muffins and biscuits. Delicate, moist, and addictive, D and I dipped them in our gravy, our collard greens, and our squash casserole, savoring the harmony of flavors those dips created.

That that trip to North Carolina was a few months ago, but my interest in cooking with cornmeal is as strong as it was the day we came home. I suppose it’s taken me a few months to recover from the food of that trip (it was heavy, meat-centric, and pretty high in fat, to be honest) and to get up the courage to recreate my new favorite dishes at home. Would I be able to pull it off? D had started to crave those southern foods more than ever, partly due to another more recent trip to South Carolina and Georgia, and I wasn’t sure I could live up to both his and my expectations. So I researched a few dishes, and thought, how hard can it really be? I would make catfish and fried okra and hush puppies- all safe, tasty bets. In the end, the catfish and hush puppies were A-game dishes, but the okra (in my opinion, since D and our guests liked them) was sub-par. So below, find the recipes for hush puppies and fried catfish- two very Southern dishes, the former from North Carolina (but originally from New Orleans) and the latter from South Carolina. These recipes represent two out of the infinite number of preparations that are possible with a sack of cornmeal, and showcase the delicious flavor this ingredient adds to any dish. Enjoy! : )

Fried Catfish (adapted from Chitterlings.com)

Serves 4

4 catfish fillets, skinned.
1 cup Yellow Corn Meal
2 teaspoons Lawry’s Seasoned Salt (or just plain salt)
4 cups vegetable cooking oil (Enough to cover the catfish)

Method
1. Preheat oil to 325 degrees. Rinse the fillets thoroughly and then pat dry with a paper towel. Pat dry with a paper towel.

2. Roll the fresh, catfish fillets in a mixture of corn meal and Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. If you cannot find Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, then your favorite seasoned salt will have to do. It’s just that Lawry’s Seasoned Salt is a southern favorite. A quick way to coat the fish in the corn meal and season mixture is to place it in a plastic bag and just shake it.

3. Drop fillets two at a time into deep fryer. Fry until it turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on double layered paper towels and serve immediately while hot.

Hush Puppies (from Chitterlings.com)

Makes 6 servings

2 cups yellow corn meal
1 cup plain flour
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (you can also use plain milk in a pinch, but nothing compares to buttermilk)
3/4 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt (or just plain salt)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 teaspoon baking soda (if using regular milk, substitute baking powder here)
1/8 cup bacon grease. (This is another big key to the flavor. You can use other types of cooking oil, but bacon is my favorite)
Vegetable oil for frying (peanut oil is great too, but make sure no one you’re cooking for is allergic to peanuts!!)

Method

1. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add your eggs, oil, and buttermilk. Stir it all up until the flavors are thoroughly blended.

2. Turn your cooker on medium-high heat. When it’s hot you can drop your hush puppies in using a table spoon. Allow them to brown on all sides. They should begin floating when done, but if they don’t, don’t overcook them.

You can also store this mixture in the refrigerator for a day prior to frying. Before cooking let the mixture reach near room temperature.

-M : )

My second- and hopefully last- post without a picture. This one is on Salmon, again, as promised, but this time with a Thai flair, courtesy of Jamie Oliver and his new book, Cook With Jamie: My Guide To Making You A Better Cook. Let me first say that this new cookbook is not only Jamie’s best, but one of the best cookbooks to come out in the past ten years. It is organized perfectly, the photos are vibrant without looking overly styled (signature J.O.), the dessert section is treated as a legitimate chapter rather than an afterthought (rare in the cookbook world these days), and most of all, the recipes are to die for and they work! What more could a cook, any cook, ask for? Whether its your first day in the kitchen or your thousandth, you will find many new recipes in this book that enlighten your preexisting notions of good food. Without giving away too many goodies, let me entice you with the names of a few of my favorite recipes from this book: Oozy Egg Ravioli, The Nicest Clam Chowder (Essex Girl Style), Sticky Saucepan Carrots, and A Rather Pleasing Carrot Cake with Lime Mascarpone Icing. Wow, yum. If the recipes don’t get you, the fact that he’s donating every penny to his charity, the Fifteen Foundation (named for his four restaurants that bear the same name) should. The foundation’s focus is on teaching young kids from tough backgrounds how to cook, and judging by the number of glowing, smiling faces inside the book’s covers, it’s improving their lives.

So here is a recipe I’ve adapted from this book. Originally the recipe features sea bass, but since I had salmon in the fridge, that’s what I chose as the star of this dish. The marinade for the salmon is great for meat and poultry too, and it keeps very well in the fridge, so you can use any extra you have throughout the rest of the week on steamed rice, tossed with pasta, heck, I’d pour this stuff on my eggs in the morning it tastes so good. Anyway, enjoy!

Seared Salmon with Thai Coconut Rice (adapted from Jamie Oliver’s Cook With Jamie)

Makes 4 Servings

For Marinade:

1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small hot pepper, such as jalapeno, serano, or bird, depending on how hot you want it.

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

6 tablespoons soy sauce

1 lemon, juiced and zested

1 12 oz can coconut milk

Method:

1. Blitz all ingredients listed above (including both the juice and the zest fo the lemon) in a food processor until smooth. Transfer 1 cup of the mixture to a shallow dish and set aside. Place the rest of the mixture in a storage container and set in the fridge.

For Salmon:

4 Salmon fillets, (skinned if you prefer)

1 cup reserved marinade

Method:

1. Place salmon fillets in the shallow dish you reserved the cup of marinade in and set in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

For Assembly:

1 1/2 cups long grain rice

3 cups water

the rest of the reserved marinade

1 lb green beans, steamed, to serve

2 tbsp vegetable oil, such as canola

salt, to taste

Method :

1. Place the 3 cups of water in a medium size pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Add 1 tsp salt and add 1 1/2 cups rice. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off, pour in 1 cup reserved marinade, place the lid back on, and steam for 3 minutes to finish cooking. After 3 minutes is up, fluff the rice gently with a fork and pour another 1/2 cup of marinade over the rice. Since the marinade is cold, it will stop the rice from cooking. Taste the rice for salt, and adjust seasoning if necessary. Leave the rice in the pot, with the lid ajar, until serving time.

2. Heat the oil in a large saute pan (or in two smaller saute pans) over medium high heat. Remove the salmon from the marinade, season each side with salt, and place fillets in the hot pan, facing down the side of the fillet that looks more attractive (i.e. the “presentation side” goes down in the pan first). Cook for 3 minutes on the first side, flip, then cook for 2 minutes on the other side, until medium rare in the center. If you prefer your fish cooked more thoroughly, cook another minute on each side.

3. Spoon 1 portion of rice in the center of each of the four plates, and lay 1 cooked fillet over the top. Place a portion of steamed green beans alonside the salmon, then serve. Enjoy!

-M : )

So I was pretty upset when I realized I accidentally deleted the pictures that correspond with my next two posts, but then I thought about the importance of pictures in the first place. Sure I realize that aesthetics are important and appealing photos are meant to convey tastiness, but don’t you already know what Salmon tastes like? Don’t you already have a pretty good idea of what flavors the Strawberry Shortcake, Braised Short Ribs, and Chicken Piccata recipes will yield, without staring at their accompanying pictures? Can’t you trust a recipe without food porn staring you in the face? Why are we taught to think that the quality of a person’s camera is directly related to the quality of his/her food?

While I think we all realize (or at least those of us who actually cook), that photos of food in magazines and on the Food Network rarely resemble the food we turn out for our loved one’s dinners every night, there is a value to these images. We are supposed to think, big budget = nice cameras + well trained staff + many hours of recipe testing = good recipe = tasty food. However, on a cooking show such as PBS, it lends humility to chef, as most programs are clearly not shot with super high end HD cameras. This brings the chef down to earth a bit in the viewers eyes, and shows us that their food looks surprisingly just like ours. I think it makes their recipes seem more accessible and honest.

In terms of food advertisements and magazine photography, it’s another story. I can’t get my food to look like the food shown next to it’s recipe in Gourmet magazine if my life depended on it. I’m not exaggerating. I don’t make my plate up with inedible components, and part of the trickery involved in making food photography look tasty, is using non-food products in pictures. For example, that milk on the cereal box is made to look super white and glossy by substituting the real thing with thinned glue. Sorry readers, I’m not buying and thinning glue for your your drooling pleasure. For most of us food bloggers, photography is meant to add a bit of temptation, a pinch of humility (my pictures are far from professional looking), and in my mind, most importantly, a heaping dose of honesty (proof that we actually made the recipe!).

So, forgive my error in erasing the photos of the recipes that illustrate the tastiness of my next two posts, and try them based on my word alone. I dare you. I don’t have hours to test recipes, nor a great camera, but I can assure you both of these recipes are as delicious as any you’ll find within the pages of Gourmet, Bon Appetit, or Saveur. Both are based on Salmon (great for raising HDL cholesterol, softening skin, and increasing blood circulation), with the first less refined, but equally as delicious as the second. If you trust me and cook one or both of these recipes, and they turn out well, as always, please let me know. Inevitably, if you like a recipe, mine or anyone’s, you’re going to make it again because it tasted good, not because it looked good on the plate. The latter is an added bonus, but not the be all and end all of good food. To you bloggers, who like me, can’t afford a fancy camera (or simply don’t care about buying one), don’t be intimidated by those who can. Let your food speak for itself. Enjoy : )

Salmon Burgers with Orange and Beet Salad

For Salmon Burgers:

2 small cans Pink Salmon (or 1 large one, if you wish), drained (skin removed, if included; bones mashed, if included)

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tsp dried dill

dash Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tbsp vegetable oil, like canola

2 burger buns, or 4 slices of bread, your choice

1/4 lb smoked gouda, sliced

lettuce, tomato, red onion, and/or cooked bacon, to top your burgers with (optional)

Method:

1. Mash together the salmon, mustard, dill, worchestershire, salt, and pepper, in a small bowl. Taste for seasoning, readjust, then incorporate the egg into the mixture. Chill for 30 minutes.

2. Form two patties out of the salmon mixture and heat the oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Place salmon patties into the pan, and cook for 3 minutes on the first side to get a nice dark brown sear on them. Flip, then cook for 1 minute on the second side.

3. Meanwhile, toast your burger buns or bread, and slice your burger garnishes.

4. Once the salmon burgers have been flipped, top them with 2-3 slices of smoked gouda and place the pan under the broiler in your oven until the cheese is melted. Alternatively, you can place a lid on your pan and steam the cheese until it melts. Place the Salmon Burgers on the buns/toast and serve with garnishes and the Orange and Beet Salad.

For Orange and Beet Salad:

2 beets, golden or red

1 seedless orange, like Cara Cara, peeled and sliced into segments

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses (found in the baking aisle of certain grocery stores, like Whole Foods)

1 tsp honey

1 lime, juiced

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt, to taste

Method:

1. Place beets in a small pot and cover with cold water, bring to a boil over high heat and boil covered, until you can poke the tip of a paring knife into the center and it comes out without resistance, about 45 minutes.

2. Cool beets by submerging them in cold water and peel the skin off with a paring knife, or by pushing the skin off with your fingers. It will be very easy to remove the skin if the beets are cooked through.

3. Slice beets in segments similar to the size of your orange segments, at most about 1/2 inch thick. Toss beet segments with oranges, and the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl, and let marinate, covered, in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

4. Serve alongside Salmon Burgers, in a separate dish, since the salad will be very moist. Keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Enjoy!

-M

Scallop Ceviche

Now that D and I are back from our trip down south, we are taking a break from heavy foods by dining on salads, soups, and sandwiches for dinner. We had our fill of yeast rolls and sweet potatoes at Mary Mac’s in Atlanta, cheddar biscuits and fried chicken at The Lady & Sons in Savannah, and whole hog pork barbecue and banana pudding at Sweatman’s, about a hour north of Charleston. Most of the food we had was incredible, but also incredibly heavy. All I wanted once we got back to D.C. was a big salad and some broiled fish. While a lot of the food we had down south was simple, country food, it didn’t feel pure, if you know what I mean. Sure the green beans, butter beans, black eyed peas, and sweet potatoes were cooked with few ingredients, but food that’s cooked for hours on the stove rarely tastes as fresh and healthy as it does in its raw state. Not to mention it all looks brown to me after a while, which is less than appetizing.

So since our meals have been “pure” (read: less than exciting) the past few days (for example, nicoise salads are the most complicated thing I have made since coming home), I am sharing some of my catering recipes I promised not too long ago, instead. The blue cheese and pecan crackers have a delicate, shortbread biscuit-like texture and are wonderful eaten on their own. The scallop ceviche in cucumber cups is always chic, impressive, and easy to make ahead. Both of these recipes will be among your new favorites in your entertaining arsenal. Enjoy!

Blue Cheese and Pecan Crackers (from Garde Manger, by the Culinary Institute of America)

Makes 3 dozen

1/2 cup butter, diced, cold

8 oz crumbled blue cheese (or block blue cheese, like Valdeon)

1 cup flour, plus more for dusting

1 tsp salt

2 oz pecans, finely chopped

Method

1. Add salt to flour. Cut butter into flour with your hands or a pastry cutter, then incorporate blue cheese. Stir in pecans. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and set in fridge for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper. Roll chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface to no more than 1/4 inch, and no less than 1/8 inch, thickness. Cut with a 2 inch round cookie cutter, or in another desired small shape and place shapes an inch apart on the lined baking sheets. Re-roll scraps from cutting and cut out more shapes. Repeat until dough is used up. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly golden and slightly firm. Remove from baking sheets and cool on parchment paper. Store in a tightly-sealed container for up to 1 month. Enjoy!

Scallop Ceviche in Cucumber Cups

Makes about 60 pieces

4 large english cucumbers, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch slices, crosswise

10 large scallops

1 large firm tomato, seeded and diced finely

2 bell peppers, in different colors, diced finely (I like orange and red, since the cucumbers are green)

2 jalapenos, seeds removed, diced finely

3 limes, juiced

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped finely

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt, to taste (you can add pepper, but I just don’t like to see the black specs in my ceviche)

Method

1. Remove tough muscle on the side of the scallops. Slice scallops across so you get three discs each, then slice into strips. Cut strips into small dice so pieces are about 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch. Place diced scallops into a large bowl and add lime juice, tomatoes, peppers, jalapenos, cilantro, olive oil, and salt. Mix well, cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap and set in the fridge overnight.

2. The next day, before serving, use a small melon baller to make the “cup” in one side of the cucumber slices. Make sure not to punch all the way through! When it’s time to serve, spoon 1/2 tsp of ceviche into each cup. Enjoy!

-M : )

D and I just took a weekend trip to North Carolina, and between that trip and the research I am doing on cheap Southern restaurants, I can’t get Southern comfort food out of my head. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Southern comfort food? Such a phrase triggers thoughts of country ham, sausage gravy, fried catfish, and of course, biscuits. Not the healthiest food line up, eh? Well, there are some southern comfort dishes that will soothe both your emotions and your stomach- no Pepcid or Tums required. Foods that come to mind are platters of whole grilled fish, bowls of steaming slow-cooked collard greens, jars of tart blackberry jam, and the dish I’ve listed a recipe for below, seafood gumbo.

Often when diners think of gumbo, they think of heavy, sausage-ladden, rice scattered bowls of soupy stew strewn with a host of other indistinguishable ingredients. Sure it tastes good, but what am I tasting exactly?, I think to myself. Its brown, chunky, and leaden, but yet, addictive. The addictiveness, I realized, comes from two elements: the slight heat from cayenne pepper, and the simple yet elusive fact that every bite tastes different from the last. Knowing the two must-have components of this dish, I set out to create a lighter, more “transparent” version of the dish, where upon eating it, stomachs are satiated, minds are calmed, and mouths are tingled. Say goodbye to murky gumbos, and welcome this soul warming stew into your one-pot recipe repertoire. Enjoy : )

Seafood Gumbo

Makes 6 main course portions (with rice), or 10 small starter portions (with or without rice).

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup flour

1 stalk celery, small dice

1 small onion, small dice

1/2 green bell pepper, small dice

1/2 lb okra, fresh or frozen, sliced thinly, crosswise

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 large can crushed or diced tomatoes

4 cups chicken stock

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

1 tsp dried thyme

cayenne pepper, to taste (about 1 tsp)

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb of turbot, sea bass, halibut, monkfish, or another firm, white fish. Really, any fish but sole or salmon, would be nice.

salt and pepper

Method

1. Put a large soup pot over medium heat and add oil, then flour. Whisk to combine, and let cook, very slowly, stirring often, for about 25-30 minutes, or until it turns a dark, toasted brown. You’re creating what’s known as a dark roux. Meanwhile, cut the vegetables.

2. Add celery, onion, and green pepper to the dark roux, and stir occasionally until the onion bits look translucent. Add tomato paste and cook another 5 minutes, until incorporated into the vegetables and slightly darker red.

3. Add tomatoes, and scrape up any bits of fond sticking to the bottom of the pot. The moisture from the tomatoes will help loosen them. Stir in chicken stock, okra, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for 1 hour to allow flavors to meld, covered with a tight-fitting lid.

4. When it’s 15 minutes to serving time, add fish, taking care to fully submerge every piece, and cover. When it’s 10 minutes to serving time, add shrimp, fully submerge, and cover again. Once fish and shrimp are fully cooked, serve in large heated bowls over centered mounds of rice. Enjoy!

-M : )

Scallops are one food most people love to eat in restaurants but rarely cook at home. Why? They are just as quick to cook as shrimp, easier to clean than shrimp, and when seared on high heat, make for a beautiful presentation. The reasons I compare scallops to shrimp are their like nutritional values (did you know they are both high in B vitamins?), and their market prices. However, like shrimp, scallops are brought to your supermarket frozen. Now, some supermarkets are honest about the state of their shellfish and leave them in their frozen state. Others- one major gourmet grocery store comes to mind- “refresh” (read: defrost) their scallops, shrimp, and lobster tails, so they appear to have been fresh all along. My problem is not with the refreshing process, but with the presentation in the fresh fish case- almost every other fish in the case is shipped fresh, so why would a normal shopper think to ask about the state of the shellfish? All I’m saying is I wish customers paying top dollar had full disclosure. Ok, that’s the end of that rant.

Now for another one. Scallops can be totally tasteless. Its true- they’ve been frozen as we know, and refreshing them causes them to lose flavor. Did you think all scallops, even perfectly cooked ones, must taste like nothing? Sure, the texture is wonderful, but to me at least, the taste is always lacking. if you want to see what scallops are supposed to taste like, go to a restaurant where you know they’re flown in fresh, like the Grand Central Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station in NYC. You’ll truly believe the scallops you’ve been eating are muted versions of the real deal. Right, Dad? (Dad introduced me to the scallops at Grand Central, so he gets a shout out).

Ok, Maddy, get to your point. The point is, scallops are great for you, and are still yummy in their refreshed, albeit muted, state. Here is a recipe that brings intense flavor to those texturally decadent morsels. Sea scallops are best here, as they develop a nice sear when dropped in a hot oiled pan. Don’t be discouraged, just informed! Enjoy : )

Scallops with Spicy Asian Barbecue Sauce

Serves 2

1 lb sea scallops, small muscle on the side removed

salt and pepper

Sauce:

4 tbsp hoisin

2 tsp Sriracha hot sauce (found in every asian supermarket)

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp fresh ginger, minced

optional addition: 1 tsp mung bean sauce (also found at asian supermarkets- its like bean peanut butter (peanuts are legumes, after all)

4 leaves fresh basil

Method:

1. Heat 2 tbsp canola oil in a saute pan on high heat. Season scallops liberally with salt and pepper. Sear scallops for 2 minutes on each side, allowing a nice brown crust to form.

2. While you sear the scallops, mix all the ingredients for the sauce. When scallops are done, plate them, then, makign sure the pan is on low heat, add the sauce to the pan. Just warm the sauce in the pan, don’t cook it, and drizzle it over the scallops. Tear basil leaves over each plate and serve immediately. Enjoy!

-M : )