Gourmet Foods

Sautéing the scallops

• 4 or more veal scallops
• 1 ½ tablespoon butter
• ½ teaspoon cooking oil
• A 10 inch non-stick skillet

Dry scallops thoroughly on paper towels. Heat butter and oil in the skillet over high heat. When butter foam has almost subsided but is not browning, add scallops. Do not crowd them together; cook them a few at a time if necessary. Sauté on one side for about 4 minutes, regulating heat so fat is always very hot but not browning; then turn and sauté meat on the other side. Scallops are done when they are just resistant to the pressure of your fingers, and the juices run clear yellow when meat is pricked. Remove scallops to a side dish and make the sauce as follows:

• 1 tablespoon minced shallots or scallions
• Optional: ¼ cup Dry white vermouth
• ½ tablespoon dried tarragon leaves
• 1 cup brown stock or beef bouillon or ¼ cup stock and one cup heavy cream
• Optional: 1 cup mushrooms, previously sautéed in butter for about 5 minutes
• ½ tablespoon cornstarch blended to a paste with 1 tablespoon water
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon soft butter
• A very hot serving dish
• Parsley sprigs

Pour all but a tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Add shallots or scallions and stir over medium heat for ½ minute. Then add the optional wine, the tarragon, and the stock or the bouillon. Scrape up all coagulated sauté juices with a wooden spoon, and simmer for a minute. (If using cream, add it now.) Boil rapidly to reduce liquid to about 2/3 cup. Remove from heat; beat in cornstarch mixture and optional mushrooms. Simmer, stirring, for two minutes. Season scallops lightly with salt and pepper return them to the pan, baste with the sauce. Correct seasoning. Set aside uncovered until a few minutes before serving.

Just before serving, reheat to the simmer, basting scallops with sauce for a minute or two until heated through. Remove from heat, place scallops on a hot serving dish, and add butter to the sauce in the pan. Swirl pan until butter has been absorbed, then pour sauce over scallops. Decorate with the parsley, and serve immediately.

• 3 tablespoons butter
• A heavy-bottomed 2 quart saucepan
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups hot veal or chicken stock or bouillon
• A wire whip
• ½ cup finely minced onions, previously cooked in butter until translucent
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms, previously sautéed in butter for about 5 minutes
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup grated Swiss cheese
• A baking dish, 2 inches deep
• Salt, pepper, and lemon juice
• 4 to 8 previously sautéed veal scallops or sliced leftover roast veal
• 4 to 8 slices lean boiled ham
• 1 tablespoons softened butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Melt butter in saucepan, then blend in flour and cook slowly, stirring, for 2 minutes without browning. Remove from heat. Pour in all the hot stock or bouillon at once and beat vigorously with a wire whip to blend. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in cooked onions and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and simmer for 5 minutes more. Thin out with spoonfuls cream, but the sauce should be quite thick. Correct seasoning; add two thirds of the cheese. Lightly butter the baking serving dish. Spread a spoonful or two of sauce on bottom of dish. Salt and pepper veal and lay in overlapping slices in dish, with a spoonful of sauce and a slice of ham between each. Covers with remaining sauce, sprinkle on remaining cheese, and dot with butter. Set aside or refrigerate until ½ hour before you serve. To finish cooking, place in upper third of a preheated 375 degree oven until it bubbles and the top has browned slightly. Do not overcook.