Good Eats

Ali was in town Sunday through Tuesday... and this coming Friday is her birthday...and she leaves us this coming Tuesday to head out west to AZ. All that to say, we enjoyed her being here with some good eats.

The aforementioned Purple Plum Torte - while definitely delicious, I'm not entirely sure it deserved all that hype...

Coquilles St. Jacques for dinner Sunday night...

1 1/2 pounds scallops, preferably bay scallops
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 sprig parsley
1 bay leaf
8 black peppercorns
Salt
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup water
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Cayenne pepper
Freshly grated parmesan

1. Heat the oven to 400. Combine the scallops, thyme, parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, salt to taste, wine and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for exactly 2 mins. Remove the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf and drain the scallops; reserve the cooking liquid. Let the scallops cool.
2. If using bay scallops, cut them in half and set them aside. If using sea scallops, remove the tough side muscle and cut them in thing slices - so the slices are circular - and set them aside
3. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour with a wire whisk; cook for 30 seconds, whisking.
4. When blended, add the scallop liquid, stirring vigorously with the whisk; simmer for one minute
5. Remove the sauce from the heat and, beating vigorously by hand or with an electric beater, add the remaining 5 tablespoons butter a little at a time. It must be added gradually. Beat in the egg yolks and continue beating until the sauce is cool. Add the lemon juice and cayenne to taste - and you should be able to taste them and season with salt.
6. Spoon a little of the sauce into the 12 small or 6 large ramekins. Top with equal amounts of scallops. Cover with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. 
7. Bake for 5-10 mins or until bubbly and golden brown.

Chicken Roasted with Sour Cream, Lemon Juice and Mango Chutney for dinner Monday night...

2 boneless chicken breasts

1/2 cup Hellmann's mayo

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons Major Grey's mango chutney

1 teaspoon curry powder

Juice of one lemon

Fresh black pepper

1. Heat oven to 450. Lay the chicken in a medium baking dish
2. Whisk together the mayo and sour cream in a small bowl. Add the chutney and curry powder and whisk until smooth. Add the lemon juice a little at a time, tasting as you go. It should taste quite tangy. 
3. Spoon the sauce evenly over the chicken. Place in the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 mins. Season with pepper and serve.

Note: It took my oven way longer than 15 mins to cook the chicken - maybe 25 mins. I don't know why considering I knew it had curry in it, but the taste was a little unexpected. Definitely tasted good - just a little different.