Stuffed Scallops on Mushroom Rice

One of my favorite recipes from Jacques Pépin's "Fast Food My Way." The rice dish is made with arborio but less fuss than a traditional risotto preparation; butter and parmesan are added at the end. The scallops are cut in half and stuffed with a mixture of garlic, pine nuts, basil leaves and quickly fried. Couldn't be easier – or more delicious! I served this with a first course of Asparagus Custard, and a Cookie Dough Raspberry Tart for dessert.

If you have Amazon Prime, you can watch Jacques' "Under the Sea" episode for free – it also includes his Egg and Tomato Gratin first course, Greens with Quick Cream Dressing, and Pineapple Wedges in Caramel for a complete menu.

Recipe

For the Scallops:
1 small garlic clove, cut into 4 pieces
1 T. pine nuts
1 c. loosely packed fresh basil leaves, with 5-6 leaves reserved for garnish
1/4 tsp. salt
8 very large scallops
1/2 T. olive oil

Mushroom Rice:
2 T. olive oil
3/4 c. finely chopped onion
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/2 c. diced (1/2-inch) wild or white button mushrooms
3/4 c. Arborio rice
1 c. chicken stock
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 T. unsalted butter
2 T. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring 2 c. water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the garlic, pine nuts and basil and boil for 20-30 seconds. Drain in a sieve and cool under cold running water. Chop to make a fine purée and add 1/8 tsp. salt.

Remove and discard the sinew, if any, from the side of each scallop. Split the scallops almost in half horizontally, keeping them hinged together on one side, and open them like a book. Place about 1 tsp. of the basil purée in the center of each opened scallop and squeeze the scallop halves around the filling.

Spread the oil on a plate. Arrange the scallops on the plate so they are lightly oiled on one side, then turn to oil lightly on the other sides.

For the rice, heat 1 T. of the oil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the onion, thyme and mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Add the rice, mix well, then add the stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

A few minutes before serving time, sprinkle the scallops with 1/8 tsp. salt. Heat a skillet over high heat until it is very hot. Add the scallops in one layer and cook for 1 minute on each side, or until nicely browned. Remove from the heat and let them rest, covered, in the hot pan while you finish the rice.

Add the remaining 1 T. olive oil to the rice along with the butter and Parmesan. Mix gently. Shred the reserved basil leaves coarsely.

To serve, divide the rice among four plates. Arrange 2 scallops on top of the rice on each plate, sprinkle with the basil and serve immediately.

– Jacques Pépin, "Fast Food My Way"

Greens with Quick Cream Dressing

To accompany the main course of Stuffed Scallops on Mushroom Rice I made Jacques Pépin's Mother's recipe, Greens with Quick Cream Dressing. Just before you serve the greens (6 to 8 cups of torn Boston lettuce is nice with this), put 1/4 c. heavy cream, 1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper into a bowl and whisk vigorously for about 15 seconds, or until a little bit frothy. If it seems too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water. Stir in 1-1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar. Add the greens, toss briefly and serve immediately. Amazingly, this is low cal – 1 T. of heavy cream is 60 calories, while 1 T. of olive oil contains 120 calories – and it tastes wonderful!

Watch Jacques prepare this dish, and the others mentioned, on Amazon Prime, "Under the Sea" episode.

Recipe

1/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar
8 c. loosely packed Boston lettuce, washed and dried

For the dressing, just before serving, put the cream, salt and pepper in a salad bowl and whip with a whisk for about 15 seconds, or just until frothy. Stir in the vinegar.

Add the lettuce, toss briefly, and serve immediately.

Note: If overwhipped, the dressing will thicken quickly after the vinegar addition. If it thickens too much, dilute it with 1 T. water before tossing it with the lettuce.

– Jacques Pépin, "Fast Food My Way"

Asparagus Custard

With gorgeous, fat asparagus available at the farmers market, this Asparagus Custard was perfect for the first course (another recipe from Jacques Pepin's "Fast Food My Way") for my Stuffed Scallops on Mushroom Rice. It's worth watching his technique for peeling asparagus (click here to watch Jacques demonstrate the right way to peel asparagus in his Ragout of Asparagus recipe). The custard is an easy, quick recipe. Serve on a bed of fresh arugula with a nice chardonnay – and that's it!

On Amazon Prime, this dish is featured in Jacques Pépin's' "Go Fish" episode.

Recipe

1 pound asparagus (about 13 fat spears), tough ends removed and bottom half of stalks peeled with a vegetable peeler
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
3 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add asparagus, bring back to a boil and cook, covered, for 2-3 minutes. Drain. Cut off the top 3" and save for garnish (about 3 per serving). Put the rest in a food processor with the garlic and puree until smooth. Add the eggs, cream, salt (but save a little for the asparagus tip garnish) and pepper and process for 10-15 seconds.

Generously butter four custard cups or molds that hold 1/2 cup. Pour in the asparagus mixture and put them in a straight sided skillet that you used to cook the asparagus in, add enough  hot tap water to come halfway up the sides of your mold. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350-degrees. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean. Remove molds from the skillet and let rest for 10 minutes before unmolding.

Split the asparagus tips lengthwise. For each serving I split one tip in half and put on top of the custard, and take one tip and split in quarters lengthwise and place around the plate. Then put the tips in a skillet with a pinch of salt and some butter. Heat gently until hot.

Unmold the custards onto four plates and arrange the asparagus tips on top.

– Jacques Pépin, "Fast Food My Way"

Eggs Mollet Florentine with Braised Beef Short Ribs

The Heathman Restaurant in Portland claims that this is Julia Child's favorite breakfast – I've ordered it many times but wanted to make a 5 Star version at home, and this is it! Prepared for Father's Day, Dad was in for a treat. Jacques Pépin provided the Eggs Mollet Florentine recipe (from "Essential Pépin"), and Anne Burrell’s recipe (Food Network) was used for the Braised Beef Short Ribs. Add a freshly baked croissant, cubed cantaloupe and lattes for an absolutely perfect meal!

Eggs Mollet Florentine

8 large eggs

Spinach:
2 lbs. spinach
3 T. unsalted butter
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
3 T. grated Gruyére cheese

Mornay Sauce:
1 T. unsalted butter
1 T. all-purpose flour
1 c. half and half
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
1 large egg yolk
1-1/2 T. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring 4-6 c. water to a boil in a shallow saucepan (about 8-inches wide and 3-inches deep). With a pushpin or thumbtack, prick a small hole in the rounder end of each egg. Using a small sieve, lower the eggs into the boiling water and let it come back to a simmer. Cook for about 6 minutes. Pour the water out and shake the pan to crack the eggshells. Cool thoroughly. Gently shell the eggs (to avoid breaking them) under cold running water and set aside.

For the spinach, remove and discard the spinach stems. Wash well. Heat a large pot until hot. Add the spinach, cover and cook for about 1 minute until wilted. Drain in a colander, pressing on it to extract as much water as possible. Coarsely chop.

Melt the butter in a skillet over high heat and cook until it turns brown. Add the spinach, salt, pepper and nutmeg and mix well with a fork, and cook for 2 minutes.

Arrange the spinach in the bottom of an overproof dish large enough to accommodate the eggs. Embed the cold eggs in the spinach with a little space between them, and sprinkle the cheese on top.

For the sauce, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Stir in the flour until smooth and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute, until the mixture froths, without browning. Add the half and half, whipping constantly with a whisk, and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Stir in the seasonings and continue cooking over low heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly with the whisk. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the broiler. Whisk the egg yolk into the sauce.

Coat the eggs with the sauce and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Place under the hot broiler (not too close so the eggs have a chance to get hot inside) for 5 minutes, or until the sauce is nicely browned. Serve immediately. Serves 8.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

6 bone-in short ribs (about 5-3/4 lbs.)
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1-1/2 c. tomato paste
2 to 3 c. hearty red wine
2 c. water
1 bunch fresh thyme, tied with kitchen string
2 bay leaves

Season each short rib generously with salt. Coat a pot large enough to accommodate all the meat and vegetables with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Add the short ribs to the pan and brown very well, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Do not overcrowd pan. Cook in batches, if necessary.

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees.

While the short ribs are browning, purée all the vegetables and garlic in the food processor until it forms a coarse paste. When the short ribs are very brown on all sides, remove them from the pan. Drain the fat, coat the bottom of same pan with fresh oil and add the puréed vegetables. Season the vegetables generously with salt and brown until they are very dark and a crud has formed on the bottom of the pan, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape the crud and let it reform. Scrape the crud again and add the tomato paste. Brown the tomato paste for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat if things start to burn. Reduce the mixture by half.

Return the short ribs to the pan and add 2 c. water or until the water has just about covered the meat. Add the thyme bundle and bay leaves. Cover the pan and place in the preheated oven for 3 hours. Check periodically during the cooking process and add more water, if needed. Turn the ribs over halfway through the cooking time. Remove the lid during the last 20 minutes of cooking to let things get nice and brown and to let the sauce reduce. When done the meat should be very tender but not falling apart. Serve with the braising liquid. Serves 8.

Ratatouille

A wonderful vegan dish using freshly picked vegetables and simmered for 30 minutes. It's delicious hot or cold. Using a mixture of eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onion, garlic and canned fire roasted tomatoes makes this easy to prepare. This recipe by Jacques Pépin ("More Fast Food My Way") is the real deal! His recipe calls for adding 3/4 lbs. of penne pasta, but I leave it out. For a more robust dish (and not vegetarian), add sauteed/browned Linguica sausage at the beginning with the onions.

2019 UPDATE: Lately, I’ve added 1 T. dried basil with the rest of the ingredients, and at the end of cooking time adding 1 T. balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, then cooking an additional 5 minutes. Also adding a cooked gluten free pasta stirred in (such as Trader Joe’s corn pasta fusilli). Delicious!

To watch Jacques prepare his Ratatouille with Penne click here (starts at the 1:58 mark).

Recipe

1/4 c. olive oil
1 eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 green pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 c. onions, chopped (3/4-inch pieces)
2 T. garlic, coarsely chopped
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes in sauce (I use fire roasted)
2 tsp. salt

GARNISH:
1/2 c. olives (kalamata and black oil cured, pitted)
2 T. fresh basil or parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. grated Parmesan (optional)

Heat a large pot (or Dutch oven) to medium-high with the olive oil. Add the the onion and green pepper and cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook gently for 30 minutes. If the mixture has too much liquid, reduce it by boiling, uncovered, for another 3-4 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

To serve, drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle with the olives, parmesan and fresh basil or parsley.

– Jacques Pépin, "More Fast Food My Way"

Chicken Supremes with Tapenade and Mushroom Sauce

I often prepare this Jacques Pépin recipe (from his cookbook, "More Fast Food My Way") when I get home late and want to cook something fast and easy with loads of flavor. Chicken breasts are stuffed with a mixture of olives, garlic, dried apricot, capers, anchovy fillets and olive oil combined in the food processor, seared in a hot skillet, and covered to cook for about 8 minutes. Setting the chicken aside, the same pan is used to saute mushrooms and onions, adding wine, then butter, salt and pepper and any of the juice left on the plate where the chicken is resting. I was in too much of a hurry and didn't wait an extra 30 seconds or so to fully incorporate the chicken juice into the mushroom mixture and emulsify it, that's why you see the oil-type droplets in the photo below. I was so hungry that I also neglected to sprinkle the top with chopped parsley, or chives!

To watch Jacques prepare this recipe click here (starts at about the 7 min. 15 sec. mark).

Recipe

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz. each)
1 T. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt (to taste)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 c. Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c. onion, chopped
2 T. water
1/4 c. white wine
2 T. butter
2 T. fresh chives or parsley, chopped

TAPENADE:
3/4 c. mixed pitted olives (black oil-cured, kalamata, and green)
1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced thin
2 dried apricot halves, cut into small pieces
1-1/2 T. drained capers
8 anchovy fillets in oil
2 T. olive oil

For the tapenade put all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to make a coarse puree. Set aside.

Cut a horizontal slit in each chicken breast to create a pocket and stuff with the tapenade. Season both sides of the chicken with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat; when hot, arrange the chicken breasts side-by-side in the skillet. Cook covered for about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter and keep warm in the oven (180-degrees).

Add the mushrooms and onion to the skillet and deglaze pan with a few tablespoons of water; cover and saute for about 2 minutes. Deglaze with 1/4 c. white wine, stir, and cook, uncovered, for 2-3 more minutes. Add 1-2 T. tablespoons of butter and stir in. Bring to a boil to emulsify it. Add a little salt and pepper to taste.

Serve a chicken breast on each of four hot plates; add any juice that has accumulated around them on the platter to the mushroom sauce in the pan and stir well. Divide the mushrooms and sauce among the servings, spooning it over the chicken breasts and sprinkle with the parsley or chives.

– Jacques Pépin, "More Fast Food My Way"