Scallops with Caramel-Orange Sauce

Ok- time for a confession.  



Even though our family loves fish....somehow scallops do not make it onto the "short list".  For anyone who has read our post on the "Feast of Seven Fishes" (which Nana has celebrated on Christmas Eve for years and years...), you will probably be surprised to hear that out of 7 possible choices....scallops have never made the cut.

But it is "French Friday".  And we had said that we enjoy roaming out of our comfort zone, so we did so again this week...albeit in baby steps.  Nana agreed to take a pass this week so long as I tested the recipe.  My husband said he actually likes scallops, so it was a win win.  And win it was.  Perhaps we will be changing up the Feast of Seven Fishes after all.......

Per Tricia:

This recipe was a breeze. 

The only thing that slowed me down at all

was getting the energy to get out the Cuisinart

 with it's "Power Juicer" attachment that

had seemed like a great investment in 1989.

  I think that I have used it about 5 times

 since then, but I was not going to

miss the opportunity this week !

The sugar carmelized amazingly- I was

 curious how it would transform and before

I knew it the granules were a lovely caramel liquid. 

 And as promised, it did react a bit violently

when I added the orange juice and wine. 

 Thanks to Dorie's recipe - I was expecting this.

Heat and cook the scallops per

the instructions and then add the sauce. 

 Smelled fantastic, as usual.

Since neither son was sure about scallops

 (and they were rumored to be PRICEY)

 I decided to halve the recipe and simply

 make it one evening for a "snack". 

 We seemed to have embraced the concept of

sharing one serving and diving in together

a la "Salted Butter Break Ups".....and I literally

 served one plate with 4 forks and we all stood

at the kitchen island and ate the entire plate.

Everyone gave the dish a positive response. 

 My hubby says that Dorie's instructions allowed me

to cook the scallops perfectly, without ruining

 them by overcooking.  He very much liked

the sauce as well.  My sons said they were very tasty,

 although they also referred to the texture as "gooey". 

 I was relieved when my husband confirmed

that they were just fine and not undercooked. 

 The only part that kept this from being a more

 frequent choice in our house is simply the price. 

 The fresh sea scallops cost $15.98 a pound at our grocer. 

 When I told the boys how much the plate cost to prepare,

they declared that they would prefer steak instead.

                                   Which works out perfectly, since FFWD

has steak on the menu for April........

Per Nana:

I HAVE SURVIVED THE RAISINS, THE FIGS,

 AND THE PUMPKIN AND GORGONZOLA FLAN,

BUT  I CANNOT GET MY MOUTH AROUND A  SCALLOP,  

AND SINCE HUBBY AND I BOTH DETEST

THEM, I DECIDED NOT TO ATTEMPT

 THIS WEEKS RECIPE.

PHOTO OF DORIE'S RESULTS:

Salted Butter Break Ups ~

We had a bit of a split decision on this one.  Nana definitely proclaimed it a winner while the best I could do was a "meh".  And I say that in the most disappointed way possible because my expectations were over the moon.  Which is usually when you run into trouble......                                                               



Per Nana :

A FUN RECIPE TO MAKE, VERY EASY TO PREPARE.  

 

I DO THINK WHEN I MAKE THIS AGAIN,

I WOULD TRY TO SHAPE THE DOUGH

 WHILE IT IS STILL SOFT.

  I KNOW DORIE SUGGESTS CHILLING

IT FIRST, BUT AFTER ONE HOUR IT IS

TOO HARD TO WORK INTO A RECTANGLE. 

 

 

ALSO, I USED 3/4 TSP OF FINE SEA SALT,

AND IT DEFINITELY NEEDED A LITTLE MORE. 

 SINCE I DID NOT HAVE THE COARSE SALT,

I SHOULD HAVE USED KOSHER SALT INSTEAD. 

 

 

SOMEONE MADE THE SUGGESTION

 OF SPRINKLING SALT ON TOP,

AND THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA. 

 

 

THEY ARE REALLY QUITE TASTY, AND

 HUBBY AND I ENJOYED THEM WITH

 OUR AFTERNOON ESPRESSO.   

LIFE IS GOOD WHEN YOU ARE RETIRED.....

 

 

Per Tricia:

 

The good news was how amazingly easy this recipe was. 

 I am getting spoiled with how simple and

 quick the recent selections have been. 

 

 As I said above, I was very excited to try this one. 

 I had visions of a "Breton cookie/pie crust" type creation....

which is about a dream for me since I love them both.

  I am also a fan of salty/sweet combos (chocolate

 covered pretzels are my favorite) so that

 just added to my excitement.

 

 

 

When the "Break-Up" was done baking after 45

minutes or so, my younger son and husband

 joined me at the kitchen island to stand there testing the results.

 

  We were so excited we barely let it cool. 

 It was lovely fun to  crack off pieces and

 eat it warm from the oven.  It certainly was a "nice" cookie,

 but I thought it would be phenomenal. 

 

 

 There is something about the overall texture

 and initial taste that was simply disappointing. 

 But again, I think my expectations were unrealistic. 

 Hubby said it was only ok and he thought it would

be better and my 14 year old tasted it and said he

 would save his calories for chocolate chip cookies instead. 

 (Hint Hint)

 You can see the effect wrestling season's

weight watching has had on him :)

Beggar's Linguine

This dish had to fight a truly uphill battle of preconceptions from both Nana and myself.  Suffice it to say that there was absolutely no chance either of us would have attempted this recipe were it not for French Fridays.  Which is why this week was all the more exciting and rewarding. 

While it it fun to try a new recipe that already sounds like a winner, being adventurous enough to try the long shot is what makes the difference. And what a difference it made this week - we both can not rave enough about how wonderful this seemingly unusual combination of ingredients comes together to create a quick, elegant and tasty meal.

PS- We would also like to send a huge thank you to "PartyChef" for nominating us for the Stylish Blogger award.   This made a great French Friday all the better !

Per Tricia:
Expectations in this household were not exactly high for the "Beggar's Linguine", although I have to say that I enjoyed even just reading through the recipe and comments from Dorie.  The background about the term "mendiant" and four monastic orders was very interesting.  You would simply never know that so much thought and history is behind these recipes. 
                                                 

My hopes started to rise as I prepared the dish because it was truly so quick and easy to do.  If chopping 1/3 of a cups of nuts is the tough part, you know you are in good shape.  That said, I still managed to forget to add the orange zest ....I know, I know.....but we got as far as adding the Parmesan and dove in.  

                    

The kitchen, as usual with a Dorie recipe, smelled fantastic and we were especially curious to try this dish. It was utterly delightful.  Not too heavy and the unusual combo of sweet vs. salty kept your mouth enjoying the flavors that changed up a bit with each bite. 

This is a keeper for sure - both the hubby and the younger son gave it a big thumbs up.  And that was after I had to convince my son to try the "pasta with raisins in it" (he had seen the ingredients).  I explained that it was "Dorie food" and that he would like it.  And of course, he did.  Perhaps his brother is enjoying the same dish in a bistro in France right now......


Per Nana:

After cooking pasta for 50 odd years in the Italian tradition, I had a few doubts about this recipe.  Also, I dislike raisins with a passion, and adding figs to that mix, just wasn't working for me.

However, I can't believe we ate the whole thing !       

Delicious!!!

I only cooked a half pound of linguine for two of us and even that was too much.  I served my tomato, avocado and goat cheese salad along with the pasta and the two seemed to compliment each other.

The recipe is simple to make and takes absolutely no time at all to prepare and will certainly make another appearance at our house.

Savory Cheese & Chive Bread

Nana and I looked forward to this week's recipe -

it sounded like a winner just from it's name.

  Reading through the recipe,

 it seemed surprisingly straight forward.

 The "bonne idees" that Dorie shared got

 our imaginations plotting

for how we would change it up next time.....

Nana's Try:

Just what was needed for this week, a simple  recipe. 

 Since I had a sharp cheddar cheese in the refrigerator

I decided to use it for the cheese and chive bread recipe.

The preparation  is very easy and the flavors blended
 nicely together.  I used only 1/2 tsp. of salt,
but I do think it needed more.  

 The cheese was not as salty as expected.

We did enjoy the fresh bread  just in time

for lunch with a hearty bowl of soup. 

 To quote The Barefoot Contessa,

"How easy is that".

Tricia's Try:

Thank goodness Nana got hers done days before me (as usual :)

and was able to convince me that it was a "snap". 

I was down to the wire after a busy week - hubby is still
in Brazil and my older son left for two weeks in
France on his high school's Spring Break. 

 Although I would have preferred sitting in a Parisian bistro

myself this Friday, I at least got to show my love

of France by celebrating another "French Friday".  

       The recipe was truly easy and the house smelled wonderful. 

 I liked the beautiful orange color that the

cheddar provides but I went with white cheeses. 

I had shredded gruyere on hand and then cut

 up some Volendam, which is a lovely cheese from Holland. 

Since so many folks were curious- I tried to figure
the best description and did some research.  It is
supposedly most like a Gouda in taste.  Volendam is a town
located near Edam, so I am not sure if it is
 more similar in flavor to that mild cheese
 (my guess) but I am no cheese expert....

I forgot to get fresh herbs so I substituted some

 Penzey's " Parisien Bonne Herbes"

 (we had a Paris theme this week, so I went with it :)

  Great coloring and tasted wonderful- not overpowering. 

 This recipe is so easy I will be making many times over.

My younger son and I enjoyed it warm

 from the oven and it was a lovely ending to a busy week.