Seared Sea Scallops with Cauliflower Puree and Swiss Chard

It's oftentimes hard to be motivated to cook an "elaborate" dinner when you are just cooking for yourself. However, for me, Sundays are an exception to that trend and when I walk through the Farmer's Market - I can still get inspired to cook for one. Almost automatically, I knew I would be cooking scallops. It's pretty much a given. They're delicious and quick to cook. And, if done correctly, they are quite impressive.

My initial idea was to do a sweet potato puree under some type of seasonal scallop (think cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves...somewhere along those lines), and then have the scallop sit on top of a cut-out round of Asian pear that had been slightly sauteed in a butter and sugar mixture. In general - this would be a sweet dish as all components (scallops, pear, sweet potatoes) are naturally sweet. In the end, I persuaded myself to go another route but I'm still thinking about that possible combination!

The meal that I chose instead was along the same lines, and combined concepts from several different recipes. I had, for a long time, had a recipe in my files from Foodandwine.com that combined scallops, cauliflower, raisins, and capers, among other ingredients. Enthusiastic to get started with this meal - you can imagine my disappointment when I get home and realize that we no longer have that jar of capers - such a critical element! So I had to improvise and did so with partial success.

The dish had three main components:
1. Seared Scallops with Cauliflower, Golden Raisin and Pumpkin Seed Saute
2. Cauliflower Puree
3. Simple Swiss Chard

NOTE: These "recipes" are essentially for feeding 1 person. Me.

Seared Scallops with Cauliflower, Golden Raisin and Pumpkin Seed Saute

For the Cauliflower Saute:
1 tsp. butter
1/2 small shallot, minced
2 Tbs. golden raisins, chopped
1/4 cup small cauliflower florets
1 Tbs. pumpkin seeds, roasted with EVOO and salt
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp. lemon juice
salt
pepper

Heat butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and sweat for about 3-5 minutes, until translucent. Add the raisins and cauliflower pieces. Saute for another 5-7 minutes without stirring so that the cauliflower florets can slightly brown (if anything seems to be burning, add a little more butter...or even a bit of liquid - such as broth - could be OK).

Add the pumpkin seeds, parsley, and lemon juice. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Scallops
4 fresh scallops, cleaned and dried
salt
pepper
butter
aged balsamic vinegar

Heat butter in a skillet. Season scallops with salt and pepper (both sides!). Add scallops to the skillet and cook for about 90 seconds per side (depending on size and your taste for how done you like you scallops - my opinion? the rarer the better).

Transfer scallops to serving plate and top with Cauliflower Saute. Add a few drops of aged balsamic vinegar alongside the scallops (not featured in pictures).

Cauliflower Puree

1/2 small head of cauliflower, florets separated
1 tsp. butter
1/6 cup (approx.) milk
salt
white pepper
nutmeg, freshly grated
paprika (optional)

Boil cauliflower florets until softened, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor and add the milk and butter. Blend until the mixture forms a smooth puree. Season with salt, white pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg, to taste.

To serve, spread on a place, leaving a small well for the scallops. Sprinkle with paprika.

Swiss Chard

1/2 Tbsp. Butter or EVOO
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
5 leaves swiss chard, stemmed, cleaned, and chopped
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper
pinch cayenne

Heat butter and/or EVOO in a large pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic clove. Cook until translucent, stirring frequently. Add the swiss chard and vegetable broth and cook for about 5 minutes. Once wilted, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Honestly, I think this meal looked a lot prettier than it tasted. It was certainly good, don't get me wrong, but it didn't have the WOW factor that I had hoped for - maybe because I was missing something from my meal - Chardonnay.

The scallops were missing something. Perhaps they were underseasoned or not browned well enough - I couldn't put my finger on it. They were definitely not overcooked so that wasn't the issue. Again, they were tasty but not incredible. I wish there were capers in the saute topping - that was my fault though.

Issue with the cauliflower puree? Hmm the flavor was actually really good - it could have probably used more butter to have a richer taste, but I think there was a good enough balance. I also added more milk than i should have so they were a little runny - I adjusted the recipe to account for that.

The swiss chard was actually my favorite component. It was simple and delicious.

Overall I was pretty happy with myself for cooking solo on a Sunday night. I enjoyed myself and had a tasty meal to top off a fabulously warm San Francisco day - celebrated by the most incredible run across the Golden Gate Bridge - just glorious!!