Seared Scallops & Cauliflower Purée

I never would have dreamed that I would be experiencing a worldwide pandemic, much less fall in love in the middle of it, but the universe seems to be having fun surprising me. I was almost 1000 miles away from home when Andrew and I learned of each others’ existence and bonded over silliness, music and our love of cooking. Weeks later I returned to Austin and we met for the first time. Immediately we started cooking for each other and experimenting together.

So far we’ve come up with a black garlic and caramelized onion burger with a side of barbecue baked potatoes, salmon eggs Benedict with dill hollandaise on homemade bagels, reverse seared pork chops with pear wine reduction and a jicama red chili pear slaw served with sweet potato purée and blood orange French toast with candy pecans and crystallized ginger. I know that’s a mouthful (pun intended).

When I found out about this contest, it was only a few days before the deadline. Neither of us have ever written down measurements so we knew we would have to make something to record our process. A couple of mornings before this entry, I woke up at 4 AM and somehow this idea formed. I’ve been wanting to create a beautifully colored plate with edible flowers for a while and it was perfect for scallops. Even though most of it was my creation, I believe the inspiration came from our time in the kitchen (and partly from Instagram plating photos. Andrew added the idea of cauliflower purée and he was in charge of making it and perfectly searing the scallops.

I know it looks more complicated than what most people have in their pantry during quarantine, but I promise it’s not too complicated. As far as substitutions go, obviously you don’t need purple cauliflower and can opt for white, you don’t need to create a rose out of the avocado and can just cube it and the edible flowers are literally just for arts sake. Also, if you don’t like pickled onions, I would suggest still putting them in with the radishes for color and flavor but you don’t need to add them to the plate.

We would love to see photos from anyone who tries this recipe! Feel free to tag us if you post. @amberbambler @ginsoakedsenses

Ingredients

Pickled Radishes

• 3 red radishes
• 1/3 cup red onion
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 tblsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp peppercorns
• 1/4 tsp salt

Ginger Chive Pesto

• 1 tblsp grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tblsp chopped chives
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Ground pepper

Citrus Oil

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 tsp grated peel

Purple Cauliflower Purée

• Head of cauliflower
• 3 tblsp butter
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• Ground pepper

Seared Scallops

• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 1 tblsp flour
• 1 tblsp butter
• 1 clove garlic

Garnishes

• 1 English cucumber
• Multicolored tomatoes
• Avocado
• Edible flowers

Directions

1. Slice up radishes and the red onion in a bowl with a lid. Add the vinegar, sugar, salt and peppercorns and put in the fridge to pickle. This should be done at least 30 minutes before but they’re even better if you do it the day before.

2. Slice up English cucumber lengthwise (on a mandolin if you have one) and then roll up and secure with toothpick. Put in an ice bath so they keep their shape once you take the toothpick out.

3. For the pesto, mix ginger, garlic, chives, oil, salt and pepper.

4. Break up the cauliflower into florets. Steam them for about 20 minutes or until soft. Once cooled down a bit, use a cheese cloth or towel to squeeze the majority of the water out of the cauliflower. Add to the food processor, along with the butter, parmesan cheese, sour cream, lemon pepper, black pepper and red pepper flakes.

5. Heat up a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil on medium high. Salt and pepper one side of the scallops and put a pinch of flour on each one. Cook the seasoned side down for 2 minutes. Repeat seasoning on the top side, turn over, cook for 1 minute. Add chopped garlic, sliced lemon and butter for the last minute of cooking.

6. For the citrus oil, mix the olive oil, juice of half of lemon, the grated rind, sea salt and the drippings from the scallops.

7. Have fun using your creative skills when plating. After you are satisfied with placement of food, drizzle the citrus oil over tomatoes, scallops and around the rest. Lay ginger pesto on top of scallops and voila! (Note: avocado rose is best achieved with a perfectly ripened avocado. YouTube has some how-to great tutorials.)