Pan-Seared Dayboat Scallops with...Pan-Seared Dayboat Scallops with Sunchoke-Vanilla Puree & Brown Butter Emulsion

Perfectly caramelized U10 scallops nestled on a silky, vanilla-infused sunchoke puree, finished with a toasted hazelnut and brown butter emulsion.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   To make the puree, combine the chopped sunchokes, heavy cream, whole milk, and scraped vanilla bean seeds and pod in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently until the sunchokes are completely fork-tender, about 15 minutes.

2. 02

   Remove the vanilla pod from the sunchokes. Transfer the mixture to a high-speed blender and process until completely smooth and velvety. Season with fine sea salt to taste and keep warm.

3. 03

   For the brown butter emulsion, melt 50g of the unsalted butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Swirl occasionally until the milk solids turn deep golden brown and release a rich, nutty aroma. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the lemon juice and chopped hazelnuts. Set aside in a warm place.

4. 04

   Pat the scallops thoroughly dry with paper towels. Season both flat sides generously with sea salt flakes just before cooking.

5. 05

   Heat the grapeseed oil in a heavy cast-iron skillet over high heat until it begins to smoke. Carefully add the scallops to the pan, ensuring they do not touch. Sear undisturbed for 2 minutes to build a deep, golden-brown crust.

6. 06

   Flip the scallops. Immediately add the remaining 30g of butter, thyme sprigs, and smashed garlic to the pan. Tilt the pan slightly and spoon the foaming butter over the scallops continuously for 1 minute. Transfer scallops to a warm plate lined with paper towels to drain.

7. 07

   To serve, spoon a generous pool of the warm sunchoke-vanilla puree onto the center of two heated plates. Arrange three scallops elegantly on top. Spoon the hazelnut-brown butter emulsion around the plate, garnish with micro-greens, and finish with a delicate sprinkle of sea salt flakes.