Wednesday, December
19, 2007
Seared scallops with cider cream
Rialto Restaurant in
Serves
4
To skin hazelnuts, toast them
on a rimmed baking sheet in a 375 degree oven for 8 minutes or until they smell
fragrant. Then rub them in an old towel (this makes a mess), until the skins
fall off.
1 1/2 cups
hard apple cider
1/2 cup creme
fraiche
salt and
pepper, to taste
1 1/4 pounds fresh sea scallops
1 Tablespoon vegetable
oil
1 cup skinned
hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1. In a saucepan bring the cider to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer until it reduces by half. It should have the
consistency of a syrupy glaze.
2. Stir in the creme fraiche, salt, and pepper.
3. Pat the scallops dry with
paper towels. Sprinkle with salt.
4. In a medium skillet over high heat, heat the
oil. When it is hot, add the scallops. Sear for 2 minutes on each side or until
they have a rich golden crust. Remove the scallops from the pan and arrange on
4 dinner plates.
5. Spoon some of the apple-cider
sauce over each one and sprinkle with hazelnuts.
Adapted from