PAGE 20 • GO! MAGAZINE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2021 • THE BULLETIN
A stay-at-home Valentine’s Day meal
STORY AND PHOTO BY MAKENZIE WHITTLE • The Bulletin
W
hile many traditions have been put on hold this past year, no
need to postpone a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner. You can
heat up your own kitchen and serve a gourmet-style dinner for
you and that special someone.
LEMON GARLIC SCALLOPS AND PASTA
Don’t be intimidated by the thought of
cooking scallops. Yes, the little fishy morsels
can be overcooked or undercooked easily,
but with the right eye and right timing, sear-
ing them is nothing to worry about. This
pasta recipe is a tasty addition to the appar-
ent aphrodisiac mollusks, coupling greatly
with a Valentine’s Day meal.
Ingredients
1/2 lb. linguini
1 pound scallops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pep-
per
1 tbsp. olive oil plus some for drizzling
3 tbsp. butter divided
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 shallot chopped
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves removed and
chopped
1 cup white wine
1 cup seafood or chicken stock
1 cup fresh basil torn
1/2 cup chopped spring onions
1 lemon zested and juiced
Directions
Cook pasta according to the package di-
rections.
Prep scallops and pat dry with a paper
towel. Season well with salt and pepper.
Preheat a large skillet, cast iron recom-
mended, on medium-high heat. When hot,
add oil and butter. When the butter has
melted place scallops in the pan and cook
for 2 to 3 minutes then flip them in the same
order that they went into the pan. Cook for
Plated pasta dinner under candlelight
another 2 to 3 minutes. Scallops should go
from translucent to opaque. When seared,
put aside on a plate and tent with foil. Turn
down the heat to medium-low.
Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan and
cook the garlic, shallot, red pepper flakes
and thyme until fragrant.
Add wine and reduce for 3 minutes.
Add stock, basil, spring onions and lemon
zest and juice for about 2 minutes. Turn off
the heat and continue cooking with residual
heat.
Use tongs and add in linguini and coat
the noodles with the sauce then nestle in the
scallops.
GREEN BEAN CITRUS AND PECAN SALAD
Served cold, the side dish is a nice alterna-
tive to leafy green salads and offers a slightly
crispy and tangy compliment to the pasta.
Ingredients
1 shallot, diced
¾ cup olive oil
1 tbsp. orange zest
⅓ cup fresh orange juice
Juice from one lemon
¼ cup molasses or dark Karo syrup
2 lbs. green beans
2 oranges, sectioned
½ cup chopped toasted pecans
Directions
In a medium mixing bowl mix together
the shallot, oil, orange zest, orange juice,
lemon zest and molasses. Salt and pepper
to taste.
Cook the green beans until bright green,
about 3 minutes until tender-crisp and
blanche them in an ice bath to stop cooking.
Dry the green beans completely, pat dry
with a paper towel if needed.
In a gallon-sized Ziploc bag coat the
green beans and orange slices with the oil
mix completely. Chill for at least 2 hours
then serve topped with the pecans.
CREME BRULEE
The easy dessert is both elegant and
sweet. While the burnt sugar topping is
made using a torch, if you don’t have access
to one, you can place them directly under a
broiler to create the hard topping.
Ingredients
1 vanilla bean
1 quart of heavy cream
1 cup sugar, divided
6 egg yolks
Hot water
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In a medium saucepan begin heating the
heavy cream. While that is coming to tem-
perature, split the vanilla bean in two, scrape
all the insides out with the knife and put
them in the cream. Put the split vanilla bean
into the cream mix.
Allow the cream to come to a boil, stirring
frequently to avoid scalding. When it begins
to boil, cover and set aside for 15 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together
the egg yolks and ½ cup of sugar until just
combined.
Remove the vanilla bean pod from the
cream and then add the hot cream slowly
into the eggs, whisking constantly to avoid
curdling.
Fill six to eight ramekins about two-thirds
full and place in a large roasting cake pan
and fill the pan with hot water until the
water comes about halfway up the ramekins.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the
creme is slightly jiggly in the center.
Let cool on a cooling rack completely
then refrigerate for at least two hours to set
completely.
Top each ramekin with remaining sugar
and using a kitchen torch burn evenly until
the sugar caramelizes.
Serve immediately.
e e
Reporter: 541-383-0304, mwhittle@bendbulletin.com