Scallops in Brandy Cream Sauce
Perfectly seared scallops nestled in an unctuous sauce flavored with shallot, garlic, tomato, brandy, egg, and cream.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. scallops
- 3 tbsp butter
- ½ cup minced shallot
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp double-concentrated tomato paste
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp brandy or cognac divided
- 3 cups light stock fish/vegetable/chicken
- 1 cup clam juice
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup cream or half & half
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- finely chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, and then sweat the shallots and garlic until they just begin to brown at the edges.
- Add the tomato paste and white pepper, mix well, and cook for two minutes or so, until the tomato paste starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Deglaze with ½ cup brandy, scraping the bottom to get the fond. Then add the stock and clam juice, and allow to simmer over low heat. Once a gentle simmer is reached, remove from heat.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, cream, vinegar, and 2 tbsp brandy until uniform. Temper this mixture by pouring a thin stream of broth from the pot while whisking. Once tempered, strain the broth to remove the shallots and garlic. The soup should take on a nice pale color and more unctuous flavor.
- In a separate heavy-bottomed skillet, cook your scallops. Begin by patting them down with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Place the skillet over medium-high heat. Once nice and hot, add a good amount of high-heat oil (like vegetable or grapeseed). Sprinkle a bit of salt over your scallops and place them, salt down, in the hot pan, being careful not to crowd the pan. After around 2 minutes, they should have a nice brown crust on the bottom side. Sprinkle a bit of salt over the top and then flip them, cooking them for around 30 seconds more on the other side. Remove from the pan and allow to rest.
- To serve, place a few scallops in a shallow bowl and surround with broth. Garnish with a bit of freshly chopped parsley and white pepper, if desired. Serve with plenty of good, crusty bread to soak up the broth.