An Elegant Start to a Dinner Party for the 4th Day of Christmas #SundayFunday

Pan-seared scallops in a delicious lobster based sauce.  Beautiful to serve, Delicious to eat, and the Perfect start to a dinner party.

The Sunday Funday Bloggers are sharing New Year's Eve Nibbles today.....

Papardelle and Scallops in Saffron Cream inspired by Elsewhere, A Novel by Dean Koontz

Sweet, tender scallops poached in butter and tossed with papardelle and brocolli in a sauce flavored with a touch of saffron.  Comfort food at it's finest.

I was inspired to create this recipe after listening to Elsewhere by Dean Koontz......

Bay Scallop Chowder and a White Bordeaux Wine #FishFridayFoodies #Winophiles

Tender, sweet bay scallops incorporated into a chowder with bacon and potatoes will make a perfect first course for your holiday dinner.  I paired mine with a White Bordeaux and it was pure elegance. 

We are getting ready for the holidays with Seasonal Fish/Seafood and Affordable Bordeaux Wine.....

Sweet and Spicy Scallops #FishFridayFoodies

These delicious, tender scallops are marinated in a sweet and spicy bbq sauce and then basted with the sauce while they bake.  They are a perfect first course for your next al fresco dinner party.

The Fish Friday Foodies are serving up Appetizers today.......

Bottle Shock #FoodnFlix

Our FoodnFlix selection this month was the movie Bottle Shock based on the true story of California winery Chateau Montelena winning out over French wines in a blind tasting held in Paris in 1976.

This is the wine and the competition that put California and the USA on the map in regards to winemaking.

Crispy Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Seared Scallops #FishFridayFoodies

This elegant dish is perfect as a starter for your holiday meal or even as the meal itself if you serve full size portions.  Crisp bacon, sauteed with shredded brussels sprouts until tender and then topped with lovely seared scallops.

We are serving up Fish for Thanksgiving this month with our Fish Friday Foodies Group......

Seared Scallops and Spaghetti Squash and the Weekly Menu #SundayFunday

Beautifully seared Scallops atop a wonderful heap of Spaghetti Squash makes for a delicious, healthy and carb free comfort meal.

We are celebrating Squash today with our Sunday Funday Group......

American Bay Scallops with French Rousillon Blanc #Winophiles

Delicious tender bay scallops cooked up in a white wine herb sauce and served over pasta tossed with asparagus and tomatoes.  Paired with a French Rousillon Blanc for a perfect blending of cultures.

The French Winophiles are exploring the White Wines of Rousillon this month.....

Seafood Biryani #FishFridayFoodies

This amazing seafood dish is like a stew combined wth risotto.  It is easy to make, impressive to serve and totally scrumptious.

We are serving up Biryani today with the folks at Fish Friday Foodies.........

Shaved Celery Salad with Sauteed Scallops #FoodieExtravaganza

Crunchy, crisp celery mixed with crunchy almonds and sweet raisins is a wonderful contrast to the sweet, creamy, meaty scallops topping this salad.

The Foodie Extravaganza gang are celebrating National Celery Month......

Grilled Scallops with Lemon and Basil #KitchenMatrixCookingProject

Tender Sea Scallops grilled to perfection, sprinkled with lemon juice and basil, makes a perfect first course for this Holiday season.

I'm late to the party but I hope you'll join me and the others as we share scallop recipes today.

Scallop Crudo #ItalianFTW

Our Italian Food, Travel and Wine group are celebrating Spring this month with Verdicchio wine.  This event is being hosted by my friend Cam, of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.  You can read her invitation post here.

I was pretty excited a few weeks ago when I discovered a wine store only 20-30 minutes from my home that carries a great selection and will order up anything that they don't have in stock.

This is certainly much better than the alternative of 1 hr. each way to the wine store I was using and, not being strictly wines but an International Marketplace, wasn't conducive to special orders.

They did not have any Verdicchio on the shelves but he wrote down the varietal I needed and said he would contact his provider and find the best bottle he could in the price range I wanted, less than $30.

He provided me with this bottle of 2014 Verdicchio dei Cestelli di Jesi by Marchetti Vineyards.  I paid less than $20 for this wine.  My new friend, Gassan, owner of Keg & Kone also ordered a bottle for himself so that he could try it.  I'm anxious for my next visit with him so that we can compare notes.

Verde means green and some Verdicchio have green undertones.  Mine was more golden but did have a "grassy" taste to it so I guess that could account for the "green".  This wine was wonderful.

Grass and citrus undertones and a crisp bright finish.  

The website linked above provides information that this is a small bottling, only 900 cases.  The grapes are grown in clay, limestone and sand.  It is 100% verdicchio grapes that are free run juice meaning no pressing is used for this wine that is aged in the bottle for 4 months before sale.

Further investigation as to food and wine pairings with the Verdicchio varietal showed many suggestions for seafood of all sorts, including Sashimi.  I decided that an Italian wine deserved to be paired with an Italian dish.  The Italian version of raw seafood is called Crudo.

However, the recipe I used came from Marcus Samuelsson.  You probably know Samuelsson from television and cookbooks.  I got to know him a little bit better when his memoirs, Yes Chef, was assigned reading for our Cook the Books Club.

While Samuelsson was born and orphaned in Ethiiopia and adopted and raised in Sweden his culinary training took place in Europe, including Italy.

The pairing was absolutely perfect, in my humble opinion.  The crispness of the wine played off the "buttery" texture of the scallops.  And the scallops themselves?  In 10 minutes time, I had an impressive and delicious first course for our Easter dinner.  I allowed one scallop, sliced into 3 pieces, for each person at the table.  

Not everyone chose to partake of the scallops and they were still all eaten and enjoyed by the time the soup course came to the table.

You will find links to the others pairings with this wonderful wine following my recipe.  We will also be getting together on Twitter to discuss our pairings at 11 AM ET today. You will find us by following #ItalianFTW.  See you then!!

Scallop Crudo

adapted from  Marcus Samuelsson

6 large Sea Scallops

Juice of one orange

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

pinch of salt

2 sprigs of dill

thinly sliced red bell pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Slice the scallops into 3 even pieces, crosswise.  Combine the orange juice, lemon juice  and salt in a small bowl.  Ladle a couple of tablespoons of the juice mixture onto a serving platter.  Arrange the scallops over the juice on the platter.  Top with remaining juice, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with the dill and pepper.  Serve immediately.  Print Recipe

Let's join the others and see what they are sharing

• Jeff at FoodWineClick! gives us a A Wine Pairing Lesson with Verdicchio.
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla pours Bisci Verdicchio di Matelica with a Panzanella di Primavera.
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm serves up Scallop Crudo with Verdicchio.
• Katarina at Grapevine Adventures offers a Multinational Spring Lunch with Verdicchio.
• Jane at Always Ravenous shares Verdicchio Paired with the Flavors of Spring.
• Nicole at Somm's Table posts Cooking to the Wine: Azienda Santa Barbara Verdicchio and Tuna Melts.
• Lauren at The Swirling Dervish pairs Verdicchio and Roasted Vegetables: A Match Made in Heaven.
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest has A Spring Date With Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi.
• Susannah of Avvinare listens as Verdicchio Sings of Spring.
• Jennifer of Vino Travels shares Verdicchio of the Marche with Tenuta di Tavignano.

Scallops with Garlic and Cilantro #MexicanRecipes

Welcome to the final day of our Cinco de Mayo celebration hosted by Sue of Palatable Pastime. Since today is Fish Friday, I decided to share a Mexican Seafood Recipe.

Poaching the scallops in a spicy butter sauce produces a tender, juicy dish that is hard to resist.

The best part is that this dish comes together very quickly.  In a matter of minutes it can be on the table.  I served mine with Green Rice and it made a beautiful and elegant presentation.  You don't have to take the time to make your own rice though.  I have found those individual serving cups of brown rice that microwave in 1 minute are a wonderful way to shorten prep time. Using those, this meal would be on the table in about 10 minutes. Perfect for a Friday night when you come home and are anxious to start your weekend.

I hope you have enjoyed this week of Mexican Recipes as much as I.  You will find everyone's final dish following this easy peasy and scrumptious recipe.  Happy Weekend!!

Scallops with Garlic and Cilantro

recipe from Mexican by Jane Milton

20 sea scallops (I used a package of frozen)

2 zucchini, quartered and cut into strips

6 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 T. hot chili sauce

Juice of 1 lime

small bunch of cilantro, leaves only, chopped

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over med high heat.  Add the zucchini and cook until softened 3-4 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the garlic to the pan along with the chili sauce.  Add the scallops to the pan and cook stirring constantly for a minute or two until scallops are just cooked through.  Stir in the lime juice, cilantro. and zucchini.  Serve immediately. Print Recipe

Fiesta Finale

• Pico de Gallo from Palatable Pastime
• Cheesy Spanish Rice from the Tip Garden
• Fried Ice Cream Bars from Cooking With Carlee
• Paloma Cocktail from Caroline's Cooking
• Graham Cracker Fried Ice Cream from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Blackberry Margaritas from Books n' Cooks
• Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies from Family Around the Table

Check back each and every day for new recipes by following along with the hashtag #MexicanRecipes on social media. Are you a food blogger interested in posting within our blogging community? Find out more by joining us online: Holiday Fun with Our Blog Friends.

Coquilles St. Jacques #CooktheBooks

This session of Cook the Books is being hosted by Claudia of Honey From Rock.  Claudia chose a memoir written by Isabel Vincent, Dinner with Edward.

Claudia said that since our last read, Stir, was a memoir about physical healing she thought she would share a book that talks about food helping with mental and spiritual healing.

In Dinner with Edward we meet Isabel who recently transported from Canada to New York for work as a reporter for, what I like to call, a Gossip Rag.  Isabel needed a foot in the door for her journalism reporting career and this seemed to be it.  The move and the job is hard on her and her family.  Her marriage is falling apart, she has little time to spend with her daughter and her job and boss are very demanding.  Nonetheless, when a friend requests that Isabel check on her recently widowed father every once in awhile, Isabel agrees and an unlikely friendship is formed.

Isabel does not come across as a very likeable character however Edward makes up for it in spades. Edward is a loveable, caring, concerned father figure for Isabel.  He comforts her with food, drink, hugs and fatherly advice.  She comforts him with visits and assistance with dinner parties that helps him to cope with the loss of his dear wife.

It is a touching story, and to be fair to Isabel, it isn't really a story about her life per se, so we don't really get to know her or the background behind the decisions she makes.  I think Isabel wrote this story solely as an homage to Edward and she portrayed him perfectly.

Each chapter of the Memoir started with a menu of a meal that Edward had prepared for Isabel when she visited.  There were no recipes but the menus and description of the foods was lovely.  Scallops was not a dish that made the menus listed in the memoir but I can certainly see Edward serving these up with a glass of White Bordeaux.

While the name and presentation are fancy the dish itself is quick and easy.  It makes a very impressive first course for a dinner party.  I have also made crepes with the filling and served them as a main course. Delicious.

I am also sharing this review and recipe over at Foodies Read where I and many like minded bloggers link up our thoughts on books with Food themes.

There are many different recipes out there for Coquilles St. Jacques.  I am partial to this one from Epicurious.

Coquilles St. Jacques

slightly adapted from Epicurious

1 3/4 c. water

3/4 c. dry wine

1/2 sweet onion, diced

2 sprigs parsley

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs thyme 

juice of 1/4 lemon

1 lb scallops

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

6 T. butter

4 T. flour

1/2 c. heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

panko bread crumbs

shredded gruyere cheese

Place the water, wine, parsley, bay leaves and thyme in a large saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, add scallops, cover and simmer just until cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Remove the scallops with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the mushrooms to the poaching liquid and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove mushrooms with slotted spoon and set aside.  Remove poaching liquid from heat and remove the parsley, thyme stems and bay leaves.  Set aside.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.  Whisk in the flour and allow it to cook but not darken.  Over low heat whisk in the reserved poaching liquid until smooth.  Add the heavy cream and continue to simmer and stir until thick and creamy.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cut the scallops into 1/2" thick slices and add to the sauce along with the mushrooms.  Stir gently to combine.

Divide the mixture between 6 ramekins or scallop shells, filling almost to the top.  Sprinkle lightly with the bread crumbs and cheese.  (can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated at this point until ready to serve)  Place under the broiler and cook until the mixture bubbles, the cheese melts and the top is golden brown.  Print Recipe