More Scallop Stuff (Scallops Sautéed with Mushrooms)

And since yesterday’s scallop recipe was so well received, here’s another. 

Big, fleshy scallops that have not been brined, essentially selling you salty water instead of seafood, are best for any sauté dish.  This preparation plays on the texture and sweetness in scallops, pairing them with earthy mushrooms and rich cream.  Scallops are sautéed in a combination of oil and butter, so that you get the butter flavor and are able to hold the high heat necessary to properly sear them.  The “mushroom flour” provides concentrated flavor and is something that I may have invented or at least I don’t remember who I stole it from. 

_____

Scallops Sautéed with Mushrooms (serves 4)

16 large, dry scallops

1/2 cup flour

2 oz. dried shitake mushrooms, stemmed (easily available at Asian markets)

1 tbs. salad oil

1 tbs. unsalted butter

8 oz. shitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

1 tsp. shallots, finely chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 pt. heavy cream

salt and freshly ground white pepper

To make the mushroom flour:

Powder the dried shitake mushrooms by chopping them in a food processor.  Shake out the large pieces in a wire strainer and combine the shitake powder with the flour.  Store tightly covered in a cool place.

To make the sauté:

Heat a large sauté pan on the top of the stove on high.  Dredge the scallops in the mushroom flour, shaking off any excess.  Add the oil and butter.  Heat the pan until the butter turns a hazelnut color, then sear the scallops.  Season with salt and pepper.  When the scallops have sear, turn them with tongs and sear the other side.  Lower the temperature slightly and cook the scallops until they have firmed, but have not toughened.  Remove the scallops and hold them in a warm place.

In the pan where you sautéed the scallops, sauté the shallots and shitake mushrooms for just a minute, deglaze the pan with the wine.  Season with salt and pepper.  Reduce by half.  Add the cream.  Reduce to a coating consistency.  Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

On warmed plates, spread the mushroom cream sauce evenly them place 4 scallops on each plate.  Serve immediately.

Visit Maize In Perkasie! (Scallops Provencal)

Check out the July foods edition of Natural Awakenings magazine for a Fresh Fun Foods recipe, some announcements and our calender.  Our full class schedule can be found at Fresh Fun Foods.com.

_____

We have been living near Lansdale for about 27 years now, moving up from Fairmount in Philadelphia after hearing ourselves tell the kids what to do WHEN they heard gunshots.  While the city had many advantages and we were sorry to bail, the schools were (and still are) mostly terrible and there were far too many mean junkies living in the jungle gym near the Art Museum.  Little Maggie called them “campers.”  Additionally, we thought that maybe it would be safer to live in a place where the kids did not have to hit the floor a couple times a week, dodging someone’s stray expression of their 2^nd Amendment rights, while ignoring their responsibilities.

So we moved from a hardcore row house urban area three blocks below Girard, to an aging rental on a horse farm in Mainland.  The house was the original Clemens farmstead.  They are the founders of Hatfield Meats, which explained why the garage windows all had foot-thick hinged windows like on an old school walk-in refrigerator.  There was a wood out back with deer, foxes and owls.  There was a barn with a hayloft.  An early 19^th century market mill stood across the street and there was a creek, wide enough for a little guy to skip rocks across, shallow enough to see all the fish.  The silence made us crazy and Cathy was sure that every sound out there in the night was an escaped prisoner coming over the hill from Graterford.

The best restaurant in the area was The Mainland Inn.  In the beginning, they served moderately pricy, creative twists on standard American fare, duck, stuffed flounder, steaks.  Eventually it became a place where you would be able to get an exciting meal that was always well prepared, using local ingredients.  Unfortunately, the bypass bypassed their front door, making the restaurant difficult to get to find.  They closed a couple years ago and are sadly missed and fondly remembered.

The drop off from the Mainland Inn to the next best place was steep.  Maybe Nadia, in Lansdale, was it, run by an acolyte of Kamol Phutlek, who made his name at Allouette off South, mashing up Thai and French cooking.  I worked for Phutlek briefly after my apprenticeship, discovering that his “secret” was making a French sauce, then adding Tabasco and lemon juice.  Combined with an Asian style presentation, Phutlek’s food was just different enough in the 80s to make a splash.  Nadia never made it for me.  While the food was interesting and the presentations precious, the portions were never a value for the price.  There were a couple of country clubs that people liked and if you want Flintstones portions of prime rib, those would be for you.  As far as ethnic restaurants, not too many had been successful, since folks out here wanted Pennsylvania Dutch diner food.  Tex Mex in North Wales made passable border food and pours a numbing margarita.  A big exception, a place that has been successful selling Lebanese food to Dutchmen after more than 30 years, is Oasis.  I first heard about the place in a Rick Nichols Inquirer rave about 1984.  A solid place, ignore the cranks on Yelp.  Chong's is the place for Chinese dumplings and pork pancakes.  I’ve never warmed up to Golden City Chinese.  Maybe it was that the bartender didn’t try to hide the coke he was selling across the bar or that each soup had its own personal cockroach.  Maybe I’m just too particular.         

All that has changed in the past 5 years.  There are numerous BYOBs doing good work.  Maize in Perkasie is setting the bar high.  I used to work at a crappy diner/ice cream place in Ambler that touted their “farm to table” aspirations.  I had to explain to the owner that farm to table meant that the Sysco truck couldn’t be pulling up twice a week.  Maize is not astroturf local sourcing.  They list their partners on a blackboard just inside the door to their small, 28 seat dining room.  They have developed relationships with area producers and get food fresh and in season, kind of how it should be done.  I smiled when I called at 1:00 pm for a reservation the guy on the line had no idea what the evening’s specials would be explaining, “The Chef isn’t back from the farms yet.”  I like this note on the bottom of their on line menu “ Menu subject to change at any time.”  Yet, even with the extra hassle this approach presents, portions are good and prices are fair, $11-$15 for first courses and $19 to just below $30 for dinners.  There are 3 and 5 course tasting menus available.  That’s what we will go the next time. 

While waiting for the meal to begin, every table is served a great hors d’oeuvre, savory popcorn with olive oil, parsley and capers.  Fun, inspired stuff.  You will wait.  Do not plan to rush at Maize.  Our meal took just under 2 hours.  Everything is prepared to order by the small staff and sent out when it is perfect.  And why would you want to hurry?  The room is nice and the service is helpful and engaging. 

Cathy’s first course (Veal Leg, Mushroom, Asparagus, Local Parmesan, Veal Jus) had a full flavor.  The mushrooms and asparagus were a nice pairing.  The veal was cooked as it should be, tender, properly peppered and attractively presented.  My scallops (Seared Scallops, Asparagus, Prosciutto, Vermouth Sauce) were the highlight of the evening.  Too often scallops suffer in the hands of unskilled cooks.  Maize served three perfectly seared scallops, a generous portion.  The center was just firmed up, with a crisp exterior.  The prosciutto bundled asparagus were a flavor and texture contrast to the velvety sauce and sweet scallops.  Well done!

The main courses were also expertly prepared.  Cathy’s halibut (Halibut, Apricot, Spinach, Amaranth, Pistachio Sauce) was playfully presented and perfectly cooked.  I went with buffalo loin, which was served precisely rare as ordered.  It came with Swiss chard and Parmesan mashed potatoes that were full of flavor.  My only criticism of the night was that the cheese added perhaps a little too much salt to the dish.  The sauce was a simple jus, something that is not really all that easy to make.  It was hugely flavored and gelatinous enough to hold the plate.  This kind of sauce is where the skill of the kitchen comes through.  Improperly done  jus is insipid.  Maize shows off a bit here, bragging that they can do something that might appear easy, unadorned, but with great depth of character.  In a way, I was reminded of  when I was a brewer.  I was most proud of my pilsners, because there was not much in the way of ingredients.  Any mistakes in the crafting of the beer would jump out of the glass.  Our hazelnut semifreddo dessert was a nice end to an interesting, enjoyable meal, properly crispy, crunchy, sweet and pleasant. 

Plan to go to Maize when you are looking for a special night out.  Go there often.  We need to support the local chefs and the farmers who supply them with rare, fresh ingredients.

The chefs at Maize are expert at searing scallops.  It is a technique you should learn.  Today’s recipe is for scallops provincial.  It is a traditional dish, but I’m going to ask you to make a little change in the cooking.  Instead of cooking the scallops in the sauce, where they tend to toughen, try searing them and serving them on top of the sauce.  You can always wash them in the sauce as you eat them.  This way, the scallops will stay crunchy and tender and the sauce will benefit from all the caramelized bits left in the pan after cooking the scallops.

_____ 

Scallops Provencal (to serve 4)

16 large, dry scallops (avoid the water added type)

1/3 cup flour

4 tbs. olive oil

2  tbs. parsley, chopped

2 tbs. basil, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

20 oz. petite diced tomatoes, fresh is best if in season.  If not, canned.

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 slices of Italian bread, 1/2 inch thick, warmed

salt and fresh black pepper

Heat a large sauté pan, add 2 tbs. of olive oil.  Dredge the scallops in flour, shake off any excess then sear them in the olive oil on the top and the bottom to develop a crispy crust.  Lower the heat slightly and continue to cook the scallops until they are firm, but not hard.  Remove them from the pan, season with salt and pepper, hold them warm with the bread as you quickly make the sauce.

In the same pan where you sautéed the scallops, add the remainder of the olive oil.  Toss in the garlic, then immediately deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up any caramelized bits that stuck to the pan.  Reduce by half.  Add the  tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, stir then reduce to a thick consistency.

When the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat, stir in the basil and parsley.  On a warmed plate, put one slice of Italian bread, then top it with 1/4 of the sauce.  Transfer 4 of your seared scallops to the top of the sauce.  Serve immediately.

Food Is Not Always the Thing! (Breakfast Sausage)

I'm running an hors d' oeuvres and appetizer class on Saturday June 19th between 1:00 and 2:30 pm.  Good stuff!  More info is HERE.
_____

We had lunch last weekend at the Eichenkranz Restaurant in Baltimore, located in a row house neighborhood smack between Greektown and I-95.  It is 15 minutes east of all that tourist havoc in the Inner Harbor you had to visit with your family or on a middle school trip where the teacher warned you about all the “ethnic” people you should stay away from.

You should visit the Eichenkranz, not for the food, which reminds me of when I first started cooking in the 1970’s, but for a real shot of Baltimore, something I haven’t seen since they knocked down that green crabcake shack on East Pratt to make way for the ESPN Zone, a landmark of capitalist crapfood. 

We had a reservation, but did not need it.  At 1:00, we were the only people there.  Eichenkranz is a little back on its heels.  I like the pictures of Bavarian, cliff perched castles.   

There were numerous decades old civic awards, most hung askew.  The bathroom hadn’t had a deep cleaning since Otto’s 1^st Reich.  Taking all that into account, you don’t go to the Eichenkranz for atmosphere or even the food.  Its glory days are in the past, but it is still an interesting place. 

Our waitress assured us that they were open, adding that they had had, “…a banging breakfast.”  Linda is my kind of server.  No BS, no style, a real pro, who gets the food to you and holds the niceties.  When I ordered a Hofbrau, she told me, correctly, that the Köstritzer Schwarzbier would be a better choice.  She dropped our food and ran by a moment later asking, “Youz good?   

None of us minded when Linda spilled a monkey dish of red cabbage and simply rolled up the tablecloth on that corner and put a bread basket and a vase on the mess.  We waited a long time for our check, so I went to the bar to see what was up.  Linda was shoulder deep in a slimline trash can, rescuing a customer’s credit card that another waitress had tossed.  We over tipped in a big way.      

The food is inexpensive, priced like it should be, considering that the recipes also came from 1974.  Actually it was a buy, generous portions and a free ice cream sundae for Grandma’s birthday.  Cathy’s pork chop with apples, cooked as if trichinosis was still rampant in Baltimore, was actually a slice of loin with canned brown gravy and unpeeled green apples.  My sausages had been microwaved.  Cathy’s Mom had weiner schnitzel that was thinly breaded and served with capers and lemon, the winner for this day.  The sides, red cabbage, sauerkraut, German green beans, were all well acquainted with the steam table.  That said, the atmosphere is throwback fantastic and our waitress made our day better, brighter.

But, here’s the thing.  Every meal doesn’t have to be haute cuisine.  Eating out isn’t just collecting BYOB’s like Pokemon cards.  Every once in a while, do yourself a favor and have a meal at a local joint.  They have been in business for a long time for some reason.  Maybe the food isn’t Thai/French/Brazilian fusion hip.  Maybe the entry needs painting.  So what!  Take one evening to figure out why the place has been making people happy since 1854.  You owe it to that long line of diners who have ordered before you.

Places like Beato’s Steaks in Philly, The Pepsi Restaurant on Monroe in Rochester, NY, New York City’s McSorley’s Old Ale House and The Eichenkranz Restaurant are institutions, iconic places that sustain and define a specific geographic area and a particular group of people.  We are all less since Beato’s closed, leaving us missing their shrine to il Duce, Frank Rizzo and their sloppy cheesesteaks.  With the Pepsi closed, where in Cobb’s Hill do I go to get surly service from hairy Greek grill cooks?  Support places like McSorley’s and The Eichenkranz before they disappear into the mist.

  

Eichenkranz Restaurant

611 South Fagley

Baltimore, MD 21224

(410) 563-7577

For your "banging breakfast," make sausage.
_____

Breakfast Sausage

1 pound ground pork
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbs. black pepper, coarsely ground
1 tbs. fresh thyme, chopped.
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground allspice

Using a mixer with a dough hook or by hand, vigorously mix all the ingredients until the sausage begins to bind.  Cool in the refrigerator fo 30 minutes.

Form the sausage into patties less than 1/2 inch thick, so that they fry up quickly in a pan  on the top of the stove.

*I know this kind of thing is bad advice for those watching their fat intake, but I can never resist scrambling some eggs in the pan where the sausage has been cooked.  Those greasy, crumbly bits are too good.