Ahead of the February issue of Food&Wine Magazine, we take a sneak peek at Domini Kemp's recipe for scallops with bacon and cauliflower cream - perfect for Valentine's Day!
This month, chef Domini Kemp is planning a table for two, just in time for Valentine's Day. Although February 14th is usually all about romance, this month's recipes can easily be scaled up to enjoy with bigger groups of those you love - think fancy family dinner, gal's night in.
If you're planning a romantic evening, Domini recommends getting a little prep in ahead of time to ensure you pull off a successful and stress-free meal:
"I would suggest you do a few bits the night before to alleviate the inevitable time constraints, allowing you to emerge from the kitchen looking victorious, rather than sweaty. Making the cauliflower cream, marinating the steaks, and par-boiling the spuds, as well as making the molten cakes and leaving them in the fridge until ready to bake, will get you ahead of the posse."
To see Domini's recipes for truffle cheese fondue, steak with sticky bourbon sauce and best-ever oven chips, and mini molten cakes with malted cream, make sure to pick up the new edition of Food&Wine Magazine with the Business Post this Sunday, February 6 or subscribe to read online here.
In the meantime, check out her delicious scallop recipe below.
Scallops with bacon and cauliflower cream
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the cauliflower cream
- 1 small head cauliflower
- 80g butter
- Salt
- 50ml cream, approximately
For the scallops and bacon
- 80g bacon lardons
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Good pinch brown sugar, optional
- 50g butter
- 6-8 scallops, depending on size
To serve
- Thyme leaves
- Lemon wedges
Method
- You can make the cauliflower cream night before serving if you like. Preheat your oven to 150C and break the cauliflower into small florets, discarding the leaves and stem. Place the florets into a roasting tray with the butter, a little salt and a few splashes water. Cover loosely with tin foil and roast gently for about 25-30 minutes until tender - you really won’t want it to colour. Allow the cauliflower to cool a little and then, using a blender or food processor, blitz the florets and any juices in the roasting tin until smooth, adding in the cream to help it process. Check the seasoning, then allow to cool and set aside to chill overnight until ready to serve.
- Just before you’re ready to serve, heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat and cook the lardons until very crispy and caramelised. You can help this along by adding a pinch of brown sugar if you like. Once cooked and crispy, remove the lardons from the pan and drain on a paper towel, then transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Using the same frying pan, heat the butter until foaming. Place the scallops into the pan, flat-side down, then season lightly. Let the heat and burning butter solids caramelise the scallops, then flip over and briefly cook on the other side. This should only take a couple of minutes on each side if they are pretty chunky, less if they are smaller.
- While the scallops are cooking, add about a tablespoon of hot water to the the cauliflower cream, then then gently reheat in a small saucepan over a low heat. The water will evaporate as it warms up, you want the cream to be thick enough to hold its shape on the plate.
- To serve, spoon a few arty blobs of the cauliflower cream onto each plate. Plonk the lovely seared scallops onto each plate, then scatter over the lardons. Garnish with some thyme leaves and lemon wedges, if desired, then serve.
Photos by Dean Carroll, click here to see more.
Don't forget to pick up the latest issue of Food&Wine Magazine free with the Business Post this Sunday, February 6. You can also subscribe to The Business Post here to read Food&Wine Magazine online.
