seared Nantucket Bay scallops with sweet carrot purée, tiny vegetables, gold-dusted garam masala crackers
Recipe courtesy of Damien Joseph, Executive Sous Chef, Round Hill Club (Greenwich, Conn.)
Ingredients
- Ingredients for carrot purée:
- organic carrots - 500 gms., large, peeled and sliced
- carrot juice - 750 mLs.
- unsalted butter - 22 gms.
- xanthan gum - 1 tsp.
- salt - to taste
- Ingredients for scallops:
- Nantucket Bay scallops - 4 ozs.
- butter - 1 lb., cold, diced
- Ingredients for tiny vegetables:
- tiny vegetables - 85 gms.
- honey - 27 gms.
- orange juice - 29 mLs.
- kosher salt - 3 gms.
- black pepper - 1 gm., freshly ground
- Ingredients for carrot spiral:
- organic carrot - 1 ea., large, peeled
- Ingredients for beet stock (for poaching carrot spiral):
- beets - 500 gms.
- olive oil - 14 mLs.
- garlic - 2 cloves, smashed
- thyme - 3 sprigs, fresh
- chicken stock - 240 mLs.
- orange juice - 120 mLs.
- salt - 4 gms.
- Ingredients for garam masala crackers:
- egg white - 60 gms.
- all-purpose flour - 20 gms.
- buckwheat flour - 10 gms.
- garam masala - 3 gms.
- softened butter - 35 gms.
- honey - 35 gms.
- gold dust spray - 2 gms.
- Ingredients to plate:
- micro carrot tops - as needed
- edible flowers - as needed
- borage flower - as needed
Instructions
Procedure for carrot purée:
- In a medium saucepan, cover the carrots with the carrot juice and butter. Season with salt.
- Cook until carrots are very soft. Drain, reserving the liquid.
- Blend on high speed, adding the xanthan gum and the remaining liquid as necessary to make a smooth purée.
- Season to taste.
Procedure for scallops:
- Remove the muscle from the scallops.
- Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel.
- Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Place the scallops in the pan and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side. (Chef’s note: Make sure not to overcrowd the scallops. They should not be touching.)
Procedure for tiny vegetables:
- Preheat a water bath to 185°F using a sous vide immersion circulator.
- Place butter, honey, orange juice and 1/2 tsp. kosher salt in a vacuum bag and seal.
- Cook vegetables in water bath until fully tender, about 45 minutes.
- Empty vegetables along with liquid out of the bag into a sauté pan. Over medium heat, stir until liquid has reduced to a shiny glaze.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Procedure for carrot spiral:
- Insert spiral cutter screw winder in the root end of the carrot, twisting as if using a corkscrew.
- Gently pull out the spiral cutter and unwind the carrot.
Procedure for beet stock (for poaching carrot spiral):
- Toss beets with olive oil, garlic and thyme.
- Place the beets in a roasting pan wrapped with aluminum foil. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes.
- Use a clean kitchen towel to remove the skin. Dice the beets in large chunks.
- In a blender, add beets, orange juice and chicken stock. Purée on high speed until smooth.
- Strain the beet stock through a chinois and season with salt.
Procedure for garam masala crackers:
- Whip egg whites until medium peak forms.
- In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients with butter, honey, egg whites and garam masala. The batter should be lump-free.
- Spread across a silicone mat. Bake at 325°F for 8 minutes.
- Once crackers are cooled, place them on a wire rack and gently spray with gold dust.
To plate:
- Add a spoon of the carrot purée slightly off-center on the plate.
- Using a plating spoon, smear the purée to form a swoosh.
- Gently add the scallops along the center of the swoosh.
- Using a tweezer, place tiny vegetables, micro carrot tops and edible flowers along on the edges of the carrot purée.
- In the center of the plate, add a small quenelle of the carrot purée topped with carrot spiral and borage flower.
- Lastly, carefully arrange the garam masala crackers slightly on the purée to prevent sliding on the plate.
