Monday, 26 October 2009

• Seared Diver Scallops in Pomegranate Beurre Rouge

  
  Seared Diver Scallops in Pomegranate Beurre Rouge
  With Ikura Caviar, Pickled Ginger and Radish Sprouts: A Hawaiian-Regional interpretation
  of French-Japanese cuisine; a study in the making of classical French Beurre Blanc Sauce
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This is the Sixth Week of IReallyLikeFood's Ingredient Of The Week Showcase, featuring ingredients which readers and contributors use as a base for creating dishes.
   
  This Sixth Week, it's:  Battle Pomegranate.
  
  We're keeping it simple this week with one dish only; focusing our study on the classical French sauce called Beurre Blanc (except since ours is red, we'll call it a Beurre Rouge).  Beurre Blanc is one of the most common sauces for traditional French seafood dishes; and is a fairly easy and elegant sauce made with common household ingredients.  I will be making the Rouge (red) version, but will provide ingredients for classic Beurre Blanc (white) also; as the procedures are the same.
  
  
  

  We're doing a Hawaiian-Regional interpretation of French-Japanese fusion cuisine -- making our rich, wine-and-vinegar butter based emulsion Sauce today with an infusion of tangy-sweet Pomegranate; and serving with hot out of the pan seared Sea Scallops; crisp-fresh-bitter Radish Sprouts, pungent Japanese pickled ginger, and cold salty-popping Ikura salmon roe; for a pleasant, rich, and clean tasting dish full of flavor, temperature and texture contrasts with good mouthfeel.

  
  
  I wouldn't say this is an "everyday eating" kind of dish, although it's easy enough to make as a weeknight meal -- but this would be a very good dish to serve to someone you're trying to impress (along with other dishes in a tapas-style meal); because it's easy to make, looks very good in a French-Japanese minimalist kind of way, and tastes good. 
  
  If you are replicating this dish, and you don't have access to these ingredients, you can omit the Ikura and replace the Radish sprouts with another crisp-fresh-bitter vegetable.  This dish also works well with Uni.  Otherwise, view this entry as an instruction in the making of the Beurre Blanc sauce, which can be used for almost any kind of Seafood.
  
  At the very least, I would recommend trying to make the normal Beurre Blanc with Scallops or some kind of Seafood -- it's a simple sauce that's invaluable in a cook's repertoire.
  
  
  
  
  

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  Now, for our Star Ingredient for the Week:  Pomegranate.
  
  
  
  
  
  Something I always found interesting about the Pomegranate is it's relationship with the Grenade (geeking-out warning).
  
  
  

  If you look inside a Pomegranate, and you know the construction and purpose of a Grenade, you can see many similarities.  I often think that ancient military engineers used to look at a Pomegranate and think "Hmm... if I made this explosive, and with small, lethal projectiles instead of seeds, this would be a formidable weapon"; and perhaps the first grenades were named such because of their resemblance to Pomegranates (although I think the first "grenades" were used by Chinese siege engineers 'employed' by the Mongol army).
  
  You see, the name "Pomegranate" derives from Latin pomum ("apple") and granatus ("seeded").  This has influenced the common name for pomegranate in many languages; many of which use the same word for "grenade".  Grenades are "seeded" in the same way.
  
  Even further, another theoretical widespread root for "Pomegranate" comes from the Ancient Egyptian rmn, from which penis derive the Hebrew rimmon, and Arabic rumman.  In Hebrew, 'rimmon' is also the name of the weapon now called the grenade.  So what is it?  Granatus?  Grenada?  Grenade?  Rimmon?
  
  In any case, both the grenade and the Pomegranate provide an explosion.  The Pomegranate of tart, sweet delicious flavor; and the grenade, of... not so delicious stuff.
  
  

  
  Anyway.
  
  Pomegranate may have existed since antiquity; but it is a fruit that I never really gave a chance until recent years.
  
  It's intimidating for many people, opening up a Pomegranate and being faced with a fibrous interior filled with hundreds of tiny red fleshy seeds.  "How are you supposed to eat this?" Most people wonder, the first time they are faced with a Pomegranate.  "Suck on the seeds."  Is usually the answer, to which the reply is "That's not very substantial, I don't know if it's worth it."  And to be honest, being a person that doesn't like hard seeds mixed in with fleshy fruit substance, I tend to not eat Pomegranate as-is for this exact reason.
  
  I do, however, really like the flavor of Pomegranate, and so when I discovered that 100% Pomegranate Juice was available in the form of POM, I was a very happy man.  Up until then, I was extracting the juice by hand, which was a very tedious thing to do; so yay for POM.  We'll be using POM in our recipe today, because POM is wonderful.
  
  
  
  
  POM POM POM POM POM POM.  It's wonderful.
  
  
  I N G R E D I E N T S:
  
  

  What's in the photo:
  
  

  Diver Scallops (large sea scallops)
  Radish Sprouts
  Ikura (salmon roe)
  Pickled Ginger
  Unsalted Butter, for cooking
  Kosher Salt and White Pepper as needed
  

  
  

  (Or frankly, use whatever the hell seafood you want to eat)
  

  
  For our Pomegranate Beurre Rouge:
  
  

  1 Tbsp Minced Shallots
  4 Black Peppercorns, whole
  1/2 Cup POM (100% Pomegranate Juice)
  1/4 Cup Red Wine
  2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
  1 Tbsp White or Red Wine Vinegar
  1/2 Cup Heavy Cream, reduced by half (optional)
  3/4 Lb (12oz or 3 sticks) Unsalted Butter, cubed
  

  
  For a regular Beurre Blanc:
  
  

  1 Tbsp Minced Shallots
  4 Black Peppercorns, whole
  1/2 Cup White Wine
  2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
  2 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
  1/2 Cup Heavy Cream, reduced by half (optional)
  3/4 Lb (12oz or 3 sticks) Unsalted Butter, cubed
  

  
  

  
  P R O C E D U R E:
  
  

  Mince your shallot.  This means really really small dice, although if you're going to strain it, it doesn't matter as much.  Add to pan.  Add your Pomegranate Juice, Wine, Vinegar, Lemon Juice and Peppercorn to pan. 
  
  If you're making Beurre Blanc, you should be using White Wine and Vinegar instead of the Red versions, and NO Pomegranate Juice (obviously) -- everything else stays the same.
  
  
  
  
  Simmer until it's reduced to almost a syrup.
  
  
  
  
  A traditional French Chef would turn his nose up at the thought of using Cream in a Beurre Blanc.  Even my beloved Anthony Bourdain says "There is no, I repeat, no, cream in a real beurre blanc."  Personally, I think we should learn how to do it the Traditional way after we learn how to do it the Cream way.  The Traditional way tastes better, and is more authentic, but is much more unstable.
  
  As this is probably going to be your first time making Beurre Blanc, I recommend you use the training wheels and use cream.  Cream acts as a stabilizer in this emulsion, so that the wine/vinegar reduction and the butter doesn't break as quickly or as easily.
  
  Take your cream and in a separate pan, reduce it to about 1/2 the amount you put in.
  
  
  
  
  Heat a skillet on medium-high heat, add unsalted butter.  Salt and White Pepper your Scallops.  When the butter begins to change color, lay down your Scallops with some space between them.  Make sure your Scallops are dry when you put them into the pan.  Wet Scallops will not brown and sear properly. 
  
  We're going to sear the scallop to get a nice crust on one side; and once the seared side has a nice crust (after a few minutes), we're going to flip the scallops over, take it off the heat, and cover it.  This will gently cook the other side.  After another few minutes, take the Scallops out of the skillet and set aside for assembly.
  
  If you are using any other seafood, just sear/ cook it in the butter.
  
  
  
  
  When your Wine/ Vinegar reduction has reduced to a syrupy consistency, add the REDUCED, heated cream into it, stir and let the combined mixture reduce just a bit over a simmer for another minute or two.
  
  
  
  
  REMOVE FROM HEAT.  REMOVE FROM HEAT.  REMOVE FROM HEAT.
  
  Now, take your butter cubes, a little at a time, and whisk them into the mixture quickly.  When the butter is absorbed, add more butter and continue whisking until all the butter is incorporated into a smooth, very creamy looking emulsion.  If you need more heat, heat it gently, then remove from heat again and continue to whisk the butter in.  The finished sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  
  If you're trying traditional Beurre Blanc technique without cream, and you've completed this without breaking the sauce, you are awesome.  I shake your virtual hand. 
  
  
   
  
  Strain your sauce through a chinoise or a mesh strainer if you like.  Some people like the bits in there, I don't.  I believe a Beurre Blanc/ Rouge should be smooth and luxurious.
  
  Sauce your plate by taking a spoonful, laying it down, and then spreading the sauce outwards in a circle with the back of the spoon.
  
  The rest is just assembly:  Lay down your stuff on top of the sauce.  If you're making Beurre Blanc, feel free to spoon some of the sauce over your Seafood and sprinkle some chives over it as well.  Because our Beurre Rouge sauce is so red and dark, it would obscure the seafood beneath.
  

  
  

    
  

  
  Serve Immediately!!  NOW!!  POM POM POM!!
  

  
  
  
  
  

  * * * * *
  

  
  
  
  
  A lot of readers see these dishes I post and think "No way I can make that."  or "I can't cook."  I disagree.  Anyone can cook.
  
  
  Nothing I post is difficult to make.  We just have to overcome our fear of trying.  There is really nothing to fear here -- fear is the mind killer.  Many times in life, not only with cooking, we find ourselves doubting ourselves, thinking "I can't do this, no way, that looks too difficult." when the truth is, we really CAN.  It just requires us to take that step forward.
  
  My whole purpose in writing CHOW is to share with you my love of cooking, and hope that it encourages you to try.  Just to try.  And maybe you'll like what you made; and maybe you'll make it for someone else, who will be happy that you made something for them.  I want to teach you, I want to guide you, I want to inspire you, I want to fill you with passion.
  
  Nothing makes me happier as the writer of CHOW than knowing you have been inspired in some way by this.
  
  With that said, I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce another cooking blog here on Xanga/ IRLF, Karmavore:  A full, 100% Vegan Cooking Blog.
  
  
  
  

  
  Vegan Pomegranate Brownies with Pomegranate Icing, Pomegranate Sorbet (Karmavore's entry for this week's IRLF challenge)
  

  
  
  The author/ cook of Karmavore is a reader of mine and approaches her cooking blog in the same way as I do, with full photo instructions to accompany our recipes.  She remarked to me that reading CHOW inspired her to start cooking again, and to start Karmavore.  She writes:
  

  
  ...we have good Karma, and bad Karma, by doing something good, you are sending out a good energy so that good energies will be attracted back to you, when you put out bad energies, you attract bad energies back to you...
  
  ...I intend to use this blog to catalog some delicious recipes I whip up, all of which I will guarantee you are cruelty free and extra delicious in attempt to help people understand that there is literally NO sacrifice needed to become vegan (on the animals part or yours)! Also, I intend to throw in some information along the way to ensure you stay happy and healthy.

  
  Personally, I think this is a good motivation.  While I may not be Vegan, I want to support the creation of a Vegan cooking blog.  For one, I want to learn Vegan cooking techniques and how Vegan cooks use their Analogues to replicate non-Vegan dishes according to Vegan standards.
  
  I encourage you, if you are Vegan or Vegetarian, or even if you are an Omnivore like myself, to go and at least take a look and see if Karmavore is a blog you would like to follow; or at least learn from.  I would love to see the start of a community of similar cooking bloggers on IRLF -- if this idea interests you, I encourage you to try it out! 
  
  My Love and Aloha as always, from these islands of Hawai'i. 
  

  
  

  I can fairly reliably cook most cuisines from around the world; but I'm happiest when I'm working with my own Hawaiian Regional interpretation of International cuisines, taking elements from different cultures and blending them.  It's what I most naturally do.
  
  Do you cook?  What do you like to cook?  (cuisines, foods?)  If you could learn how to cook anything, what would you want to learn how to cook?
  
  

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