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: