Browned scallops

 

Ingredients :
Browned sea scallops For 4 persons :

150 g of small button mushrooms
8 sea scallops (without the coral part)
1/2 liter of dry white wine
1 kg of mussels
1 tablespoon of flour
2 tablespoons of fresh cream
50 g of butter
1/2 yellow lemon
breadcrumbs

Direction :
Roast ine butter the mushrooms. Make the mussels opened in a large pan on strong heat on the hob, then remove their shells, filter the juice. Poach during 6 - 7 minutes the scallops (removed from their shells) in the wine with salt and pepper. Drain them, reserve the liquid of cooking.
Make a light brown "roux" with 1 tablespoon of flour and 50 g of butter, dilute little by little with the juice of cooking of the mussels and of the scallops. Let it thicken under slow heat during 10 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of thick cream, the lemon juice, adjust seasoning. In 4 hollow scallop shells, distribute mushrooms, mussels and scallops.
Coat with the sauce, sprinkle breadcrumbs, put a pat of butter on top and make it gratinate (brown).

Anchoiade and Coquilles St Jacques (scallops)

 

Ingredients :
For 6 guests :
12 scallops
12 medium tomatoes
6 anchovy fillets
3 garlic cloves
2 egg yolks
25 cl of olive oil
The juice of 1 lemon
30 gr of capers, finely chopped
6 handfuls of lamb's lettuce
balsamic vinegar
chives
Direction :
Using a knife, draw a cross on each tomato bottom. Boil some water and scald the tomatoes for several seconds. Next quickly plunge the tomatoes into ice cold water and proceed to peel them.
Cut the tomato tops and carefully scoop out the flesh from inside. Using a knife, cut a small slice at the bottom of each tomato in order to enable each of them to stand upright.
For the anchoyade: blend the anchovies and the garlic cloves (degermed and peeled).
Put the anchovy paste in a large bowl. Add the egg yolks and whisk everything together with 20 cl of olive oil in order to make a mayonnaise. Add the chopped capers and the tomato flesh.
Set aside in the refrigerator.
During this time, put some fine salt inside each hollow tomato and place them upside down on a grill for ½ an hour so that they lose their water.
In a small dish, cut your scallops in 2 along the width. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and cover them with 5 cl of the remaining olive oil. Add the lemon juice and leave to marinate for ½ an hour.
Wash the lamb's lettuce properly at least two times, manually leaving any dirt on the bottom of the washing container. Dry the lettuce carefully using a cloth napkin.
Put some anchoyade inside each tomato and then add a scallop slice in each of them.
Season your lamb's lettuce with the scallop marinade and season to taste.

Composition: the salad should be placed in the middle of a nice individual plate (season the salad only at the last minute). Delicately place the scallop halves on top of the salad, put a tomato on each end and decorate with surrounding droplets of balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle chives over the composition in a decorative way.
This first course can be served on a festive occasion. It will lightly waken your taste buds, enabling you to enjoy a stronger main course.

Emmental Cheese Tarte with Apricots and Fennel

Ingredients :
Recipe for 4 guests
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35 à 40 minutes
Ingredients:
For the shortcut pastry:
250 g of flour
1 egg
100 g of butter
1 pinch of salt
A bit of flour
For the garnish:
250 g Grated French Emmental cheese
1 fennel
100 g of apricots (fresh or frozen)
50 g almonds, powdered
2 tablespoon spicy oil (in which an Espelette chilli pepper has been kept)

Direction :
For the shortcut pastry:
Mix the partially melted butter with the flour. Dig a hole in the middle: add an egg in the middle. Add salt. Work the dough. If it is too dry you may add some water. Keep working the dough until it becomes firm and until it is well blended. Pat in order to make a ball with the dough and place it in a plastic bag in the fridge for 30 minutes. During this time prepare the tart filling.

For the filling:
Wash the fennel, peel it and cut it into thin slices.
Wash the apricots and cut them in four.
Preheat the oven at a temperature of 350°F (180°C or th6).
Roll down the pastry and place it in a flan dish. Prick it with a fork in several places. Add the powdered almonds. Add the fennel and the apricot pieces. Sprinkle with a large amount of emmental cheese. Pour a dash of spicy oil. Cook in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve hot.

Our cook's touch: We may also add some fennel grains in order to bring up the aniseed taste of this dish.

Olives Cake

Ingredients :
Olives cake recipe for 6 to 8people :
For 1 or 2 baking tins depending on their sizes
300g strong flour
100g pitted green olives
100g pitted black olives
50g sun dried tomatoes
30g smoked duck
20 cl rose wine
5 eggs
8 cl olive oil
15g baking powder
Some salt
Some cayenne pepper
Direction :
1) Start your oven at 200 degrees Celsius (392F)
2) In a bowl, mix the olives, the smoked duck and 50g of flour. In this way they will stay dispersed evenly in all the cooked cake.
3) in another bowl, place the flour. Add the beaten eggs, baking powder, tomatoes, salt, wine, pepper and the olive oil. Mix well with a spatula. Then, add the olives.
4) Allow to rest for 15 minutes and pour the mixture into a (or 2) tins.
5) Bake for 40 minutes.