Pan-Seared U10 Scallops with...Pan-Seared U10 Scallops with Truffled Kabocha Purée and Amaretto-Sage Crumble

An elegant Italian masterpiece featuring perfectly caramelized dry-diver scallops set atop a velvety, black-truffle infused kabocha squash purée, finished with a bittersweet amaretto cookie and crispy sage crumble.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Prepare the Purée: In a medium saucepan, combine the cubed kabocha squash, heavy cream, and 30g of unsalted butter. Simmer over medium-low heat until the squash is completely fork-tender, approximately 15 minutes.

2. 02

   Blend the Purée: Transfer the hot squash and cooking liquid into a high-speed blender. Add the black truffle paste. Blend on high until a silky, ultra-smooth purée forms. Season with Maldon sea salt and white pepper to taste. Keep warm in a bain-marie.

3. 03

   Create the Crumble: In a small skillet, melt 20g of butter over medium heat. Fry the sage leaves until crisp (about 1 minute), then transfer to a paper towel. In the same butter, toast the crushed amaretti cookies for 2 minutes until golden. Finely chop the crispy sage and fold it into the toasted amaretto crumble.

4. 04

   Sear the Scallops: Thoroughly pat the scallops dry with paper towels. Season both sides with flaky sea salt. Heat the olive oil in a heavy cast-iron skillet over high heat until it just begins to smoke. Sear the scallops without moving them for 2 minutes to form a deep golden crust.

5. 05

   Baste and Deglaze: Flip the scallops. Immediately add the remaining 30g of butter to the skillet and tilt the pan to baste the scallops with the foaming butter for 1 minute. Pour in the white wine to deglaze, letting it reduce for 30 seconds, then immediately remove the pan from heat.

6. 06

   Assemble and Plate: Spoon a generous circle of the truffled kabocha purée onto the center of four warmed plates. Artfully place three seared scallops on top of the purée. Drizzle the pan-basting juices around the plate, and garnish the scallops with the amaretto-sage crumble.