Scallops served in their shells with honeyed vegetables, beurre blanc and slices of ham

This scallop dish has a multitude of flavours.  These come about by combining the scallops, with the julienne vegetables (including Jerusalem artichokes), honey, beurre blanc and ham.  Sounds as though it is a complicated dish to prepare, but it is actually not very difficult.

Being served up in the scallop shells, it looks attractive.

It is full enough to make a main course, but it also makes a superb starter.  If served as a starter, two scallops per diner will probably be sufficient.

Preparation Time: 15 Mins

Cooking Time: 20 Mins

Total Time: 35 Mins

Ingredients

For 4 servings…

12                  Scallops    

3 slices            Ham  - air-dried - Parma, Bayonne or Serrano        

For the beurre blanc

3                    Shallots  - chopped finely        

30 cl               Wine  - dry white     

5 cl                 Vinegar  - white wine 

35 cl               Cream       

80 gms            Butter       

30 gms            Satay        

For the julienne

2                    Carrots     

6                    Jerusalem artichokes

80 gms            Honey  - runny        

1 knob            Butter       

Method

To make the beurre blanc…

Put the shallots into the wine and vinegar and cook to reduce by 95%.  Add the cream, heat and incorporate the butter in 3 pieces.  Add the satay.

To prepare the vegetables…

Julienne the vegetables.  In a pan, bubble the honey with the knob of butter and brown the julienne in it.

To cook the scallops…

Cook the scallops in an oven at 180°C for 3 minutes – in the shells with a few drops of salt water.  Take out the scallops from the oven.  Add the julienne and beurre blanc to the scallops in the shells.  Cover with tin foil and cook for another 4 minutes in the oven.

Place three shells for each person on a plate, add a few pieces of ham to each shell and serve.

Variations

If air-dried ham is not available, then use rashers of bacon (half a rasher per scallop) that have been dry

fried.

Wine recommendations

A dry white wine.

Conventional

     Mâcon

Interesting

     Montlouis

     Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur lie

     Pinot Gris

     Quincy

Adventurous

     Fino Sherry