Better late than never right? It's Valentine's Day week and things here in the office are bonkers! Everyone seems to want Lobster for Sunday, and that is just fine by us. We have done some really cool things this week at Lobster Gram. Among them is our Chicago Warehouse Sale we have going on now. New things are always exciting :) Well, there is still a lot to get done around here, so I will make this short and sweet (like me haha) and just leave you with the images from last weekend's recipe. Hope everyone out there has the kind of weekend they were hoping for. Happy Valentine's Day my foodie loves!
When you live in Chicago, is there really a need to have a chubby brown ground rat to tell us that we are going to have another six weeks of winter? I don't think so. And so winter drags on through and is currently dumping several inches of snow on us at the moment. We may be getting up to 20 inches by the time this storm has pushed through. Bah. When winter seems never ending, the easiest way for me to get out of the funk is to cook. Cook something fresh, something flavorful and something that reminds me of sunnier days. Last weekend, that recipe was Orange Scallops on Rosemary Vapor Rice. I had first seen a version of this recipe on Oprah's web site, but didn't really want the Scallops to lose their delicate flavor to the overpowering Orange and Rosemary Flavors. I also removed the butter from the recipe, as the Extra Virgin Olive oil used created the perfect orange glaze on the scallops upon standing. So thanks Oprah for the fantastic recipe idea. I will use this one again the next time I have a taste for Chinese take-out. With that, here are the recipes for the Orange Scallops and Rosemary Rice, and the video to show you how it's done! Enjoy and Happy Eating foodies!
Orange Scallops
Ingredients 3 Tbsp. olive oil 1/2 finely chopped shallots 1 lb Dry Sea Scallops, thawed Flour , for dredging sea salt freshly ground pepper Cayenne Pepper to taste 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice more lemon juice to taste 1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
Directions: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Saute shallots over medium heat until soft and browned. About 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve for sauce later. Sift together the salt, pepper and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Pat scallops dry with paper towels. Dredge very lightly with flour mixture. Increase heat under pan to high; sear half of scallops for 1 minute. Turn and cook other side for 2 minutes; set aside. Add rest of oil to pan, add shallots back to the pan and add the wine, lemon juice and orange juice to the pan and reduce by half. Taste for sweetness; add more lemon juice, salt, and pepper if necessary. Add the scallops back to the pan, cover with sauce and warm through, serve immediately with Rosemary Vapor Rice.
Rosemary Vapor Rice
Ingredients 1 large sprig fresh rosemary 4 cups Thai Jasmine Long Grain Rice
Directions Cook rice according to instructions. Add an entire large sprig of fresh rosemary to the boiling water. Before the rice is served, remove rosemary and discard. Pairs well with many dishes.
Well the Cider Brined Pork Chops were a smashing success in my opinion. Fantastic cozy dinner for a frigged Saturday night in Chicago. We had really bad weather here all weekend, so after work I went grocery shopping for everything I needed, and stayed in to catch up on some recipes I wanted to try out. This simple Lemon sesame scallop recipe was served Sunday night with some glass noodles and sliced bell peppers. The presentation was so colorful, and the variety of flavors was incredible!
Recipe Directions Preheat oven to 450°F. Spread sesame seeds in a baking pan and toast in the oven as it warms up, stirring often, until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Coat a wire rack that is large enough to hold scallops in a single layer with cooking spray. Place the rack on a baking sheet and set aside. Combine the toasted sesame seeds, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper and cayenne in a bowl. Set aside. Whisk flour, buttermilk, egg white and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in another bowl until creamy and smooth. Pat scallops dry with paper towels. Place cornstarch in a shallow bowl, dredge a scallop and shake to remove excess. Using tongs or 2 forks, dip scallop in the buttermilk mixture, and then in the breadcrumb mixture, shaking to remove excess breading. Place on the prepared rack, and repeat with remaining scallops. Scallops should not touch. Bake the scallops until the coating is golden brown and the scallops are firm and opaque in the center, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot with lemon wedges. Source:Lemon Sesame Scallop Recipe
This is a great Asian inspired scallop recipe that also includes one of my favorite cooking ingredients, caviar. For this particular recipe, I like using Citron infused Caviar not only to add a little color to the recipe, but it adds a little kick to it as well!
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups short-grain rice (such as sushi rice)
2 1/2 cups bottled clam juice, divided
3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
3 tablespoons sake, divided
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
2 tablespoons loose green tea leaves or tea leaves from about 6 tea bags
Recipe Directions: Rinse rice in strainer under cold running water until water runs clear; drain well. Transfer rice to heavy medium saucepan. Add 2 cups clam juice, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sake, ginger, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 10 minutes. Place green tea leaves in medium teapot. Pour 2 cups boiling water over; cover and let steep while preparing scallops. Bring remaining 1/2 cup clam juice, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons sake to boil in small skillet. Add scallops; cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 30 seconds. Turn scallops over; cover and cook 30 seconds. Using slotted spoon, transfer scallops to plate; reserve cooking liquid in skillet. Slice each scallop in half horizontally to create 2 rounds. Divide rice among 4 shallow soup bowls. Spoon reserved scallop cooking liquid around rice. Arrange scallops, cut side up, atop rice. Sprinkle caviar, sesame seeds, and green onion over. Strain hot tea over scallops. Serve, passing wasabi alongside. Source:Tea Rice Scallop Recipe
