Sea Scallops with Cider Cream
- 1½ cups hard cider
- ½ cup crème fraîche
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1¼ pounds large fresh sea scallops, 1 to 1½ inches across, tough muscles removed
- ¼ pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 pound flat-leaf spinach, trimmed of thick stems, washed, and dried
- ½ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
Instructions:
The scallops rest on a bed of spinach and shiitake mushrooms, flavors from the opposite end of the taste spectrum, so that everyone’s palate isn’t exhausted from all of that creamy richness.
- Bring the cider to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the cider has reduced to a glaze, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool.
- Mix the cider with the crème fraîche. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. When the oil is very hot, almost at the smoking point, add the scallops in a single layer, with at least ½ inch of space between them, and allow them to cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on the first side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook the second side. They should still be slightly translucent in the center. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, if necessary. Add the shiitakes and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper, and toss several times, until wilted.
- Make a bed of spinach and mushrooms on each of four warm plates. Arrange the scallops on top. Put a spoonful of the crème fraîche and cider sauce over the scallops, sprinkle with the hazelnuts and chives, and serve immediately.