Seared Sea Scallops With Creamy Turnip Puree, Lemon Cream Sauce, Corn & Watercress

Seared Sea Scallops With Creamy Turnip Puree, Lemon Cream Sauce, Corn & Watercress

Luscious pan-seared scallops, served over an easy baby turnip puree, with fresh oven-roasted corn, and garnished with watercress and chives. 

INGREDIENTS
For the turnip puree
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 shallot, minced
¼ cup of white wine
2 cups baby turnips, quartered
Kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper

For the lemon cream sauce
¼  cup white wine
½  shallot minced
½ cup butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup whipping cream

For the scallops:
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 large sea scallops
Kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper
 

Roasted corn planks:
2 ears of corm
olive oil 

For garnish:
1 tablespoon of thinly sliced chives
Watercress leaves
Roasted Corn planks

 

INSTRUCTIONS
To prepare the puree:
Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the shallot, and sauté until it begins to just start to brown. Add the wine and simmer until the liquid is almost completely reduced. Add the turnips and simmer until the turnips are tender but not falling apart, and a knife inserts easily into a turnip. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To prepare the corn:
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Remove the husks, drizzle with the olive oil and place on a cookie sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and cool. Slice off the cob and set aside.

To prepare the lemon sauce:
In small saucepan, heat wine and shallot. Bring to a boil and reduce over medium-high heat until only 1 tablespoons of liquid remain. Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter, a few pieces at a time, until sauce is smooth and all the butter is incorporated. Whisk in cream, zest and lemon juice. Keep warm in the top of a double boiler set over hot water until serving time.

To prepare the scallops:
In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil until smoking. Season the scallops with salt and white pepper and place in the fat. When the scallops are golden brown and release easily from the pan, two to three minutes, flip them over and cook one more minute and remove the pan from the heat. Let the scallops sit in the pan off the heat for one minute.

Spoon 1⁄4 cup of the turnip puree on each of four individual plates. Top with the scallops and drizzle with the lemon cream sauce. Garnish with corn, chives and the bacon, and fresh watercress.

Strawberry Jam Streusel Cookie Bars

Strawberry Jam Streusel Cookie Bars

It’s strawberry season and these cookie bars are as delicious as they are festive! Our simple, sweet base is topped with strawberry jam then a crunchy streusel topping that browns lightly in the oven. 

INGREDIENTS:
½ cup butter, melted

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
8-ounce container mascarpone cheese, room temperature
zest of one lemon
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup flour
1 cup strawberry jam, homemade or high quality

For the streusel topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup butter, room temperature

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350°F Lightly butter and flour an 8 x8” pan. Whisk together the melted butter and sugar in a bowl. Add the egg and vanilla extract, mascarpone cheese, lemon zest, and mix thoroughly until smooth batter forms. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Add the flour mixture in three amounts to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Pour into the pan and spread evenly. Then top with the strawberry jam, spreading evenly over the batter.

Make the streusel:
In the bowl, use your hands to combine the butter, flour, sugar, and vanilla until your crumbs have a coarse and clumpy texture – about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Using your hands sprinkle the streusel evenly on top of the jam.

Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the center is set and the streusel is lightly brown. Allow cooling on a wire rack. 

Stuffed Mushrooms with Tomato Jam & Fontina Cheese

Stuffed Mushrooms with Tomato Jam & Fontina Cheese

Fresh and delicious, it’s the perfect appetizer for spring. A delicious combination of ginger tomato jam, creamy cheese, and fried sage and garlic stuffed in a Portobello mushroom and baked to perfection.

Stuffed Mushrooms
INGREDIENTS
4 large Portobello mushrooms, stems removed
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
12 sage leaves
Kosher Salt
1/2 cup Ginger Tomato Jam, recipe below
8 ounces of cream cheese
½ cup grated Fontina cheese

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

Peel the mushrooms, and save the peelings. Scrape out the gills and discard the gills.  Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and sage. Sauté until golden, set aside on paper towels to drain.  Add the mushroom peelings to the olive oil and sauté until browned. Add the cream cheese to the sautéed mushrooms; melt and mix together. 

Drizzle olive oil over the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and set on a baking sheet. Spread the cream cheese into the bottom of the mushroom caps. Top with the tomato jam. Place in the oven and bake 10 for minutes. Remove and top with the grated cheese then bake for 15 more minutes. Immediately top with the fried sage and garlic. Serve warm.

 

Ginger Tomato Jam
INGREDIENTS
1 pound fresh or canned Roma tomatoes peeled, cored, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture has consistency of thick jam, about 1 hour. Can be make a week ahead. Keep refrigerate, bring to room temperature when ready to use.

Chocolate Bourbon Tart With Pecan Crust with Whipped Cream

Chocolate Bourbon Tart With Pecan Crust with Whipped Cream

Just because the Kentucky Derby isn’t the first Saturday in May this year doesn’t mean we can’t add bourbon to our chocolate ganache tart! We make our tart with a ground pecan crust filled with bourbon chocolate ganache. Topped with a dollop of fresh cream, it’s perfect for any spring treat.

INGREDIENTS
Crust
1 cup pecans
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon cold water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
6 tablespoons sugar

Filling
8 ounces fine chocolate, like Scharffen Berger or Ghirardelli
1 cup cream
6 tablespoons of softened butter
2 tablespoons bourbon

Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Bourbon Tart
INSTRUCTIONS
Butter a 9” square or round tart pan with fluted sides and a removable bottom. Place on a baking tray.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pecans on a baking tray and toast the pecans for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Place in a food processor or mini chopper and grind until fine ground.

In a large bowl, combine the ground, cooled nuts, flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside. In a separate bowl add the butter and sugar. Using a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together, mixing for about 3-4 minutes on medium speed, scraping the bowl down as needed. Add the egg and water and beat for another minute. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Add the dough to the buttered tart pan and press to fit the bottom and all the way up the sides. Cover with plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line the tart pan with buttered foil (butter side down on the dough) and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and the weights. Return the crust to the oven and bake 10 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

In a bowl, add the chopped chocolate. In a small saucepan, heat the cream to very hot. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and stir to melt the chocolate completely. Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, melting completely before adding the next tablespoon. Stir in the bourbon. Pour the chocolate ganache into the tart shell and smooth the surface. Chill until set. Remove and bring to room temperature before cutting.

Fresh Whipped Cream

INSTRUCTIONS
In the refrigerator, chill a medium metal bowl and the beaters to an electric mixer for 20 minutes. Add the cold cream to the bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the cream with the sugar until soft peaks form. Add bourbon (if using) and vanilla and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.

Serve with the tart.

Rhubarb Orange Barbecue Sauce

Rhubarb Orange Barbecue Sauce

Fresh rhubarb is one of our seasonal spring favorites, and makes a perfect sweet and sour Barbecue Sauce. Cooked with orange juice and fresh rosemary, it’s perfect brushed over pan-seared or barbecue chicken.

INGREDIENTS
16 ounces rhubarb, about 4 long stems
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon fresh Rosemary

INSTRUCTIONS
Cut the rhubarb into ½” cubes. Add to a medium sauce pan with the onion, orange juice, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until the rhubarb has broken down and the sauce has thickened approximately 30-45 minutes.  Whisk in the Worcestershire sauce and rosemary. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.