by ChefJune
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my 77 recipes »
ChefJune's Notes:
Expand1 1/4 pound dry pack scallops (may be sea, bay or cape scallops), poached and cooled Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives Ask a question about this ingredient
1 large shallot, chopped Ask a question about this ingredient
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil Ask a question about this ingredient
1 packet unflavored gelatin, dissolved in 1/4 cup dry French Vermouth Ask a question about this ingredient
3/4 cups homemade mayonnaise made with fresh lime juice Ask a question about this ingredient
2/3 cups crème fraîche (can sub sour cream) Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salf Ask a question about this ingredient
a few grinds of fresh white pepper Ask a question about this ingredient
6 drops hot pepper sauce (I use Louisiana Hot Sauce) Ask a question about this ingredient
In the food processor fitted with the metal blade, chop the basil fine. Remove and set aside.
Ask a question about this stepWith the motor running, drop the chives and shallot through the feed tube, and process until very finely chopped. Add mayonnaise and pulse three times to mix. Now add all the ingredients except the basil and the gelatin mixture, and pulse five or six times to incorporate well, then process until smooth.
Ask a question about this stepAdd basil and gelatin mixture, and pulse several times, to blend thoroughly.
Ask a question about this stepPour or spoon mixture into the prepared mold(s) you have chosen. [I use standard Madeleine pans for plated first course, miniature Madeleine pans for the really tiny scallops that fit on crackers.]
Ask a question about this stepChill until firm, about 1 1/2 hours minimum for the large mold. (The "babies" take almost no time at all!)
Ask a question about this stepUnmold onto appropriate serving dish, and garnish with fresh basil leaves or sprigs. (I like to serve the "babies" on a Bremner wafer, on top of a small basil leaf.)
Ask a question about this stepWine Tip: The wine that consistently compliments this mousse to perfection is Vision Cellars’ California White – a juicy blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris. If you’d like a sparkler, I’d choose Iron Horse Wedding Cuvée, my favorite domestic bubbly.
Ask a question about this stepWhy are you telling me how to write my recipe? You are correct that I should have mentioned the importance of using dry scallops. The chemicals not only don't taste good, they aren't healthy to eat.
Of course there is some difference in the flavor intensity of the different types of scallops. However, I'm a cooking teacher, and I teach around the USA. Cooks who live in central Oklahoma are lucky to find frozen scallops. And not everyone feels they can afford day boat cape scallops when they're going to chop them up for mousse. What you misunderstood, Equator180, is that the recipe can be successfully made with all three types of scallops. Will the mousse taste more intensely scallop-y if made with $24-a-pound Sea Scallops? Certainly. Will the mousse be bland and tasteless if made with bay scallops? Not at all.
I like the idea of dissolving the gelatin in the vermouth! And good call on the Noilly! I will also try the Iron Horse Cuvee--thanks for that recommendation.
How did I miss this?! I do a salmon mousse but this looks even better...
Hey! What happened to the picture I submitted with my mousse... the scallop shell presentation? How can I replace that weird picture with the way I intend the recipe to show?
my fiance made this for our new year's eve party. we both tasted it before he added the gelatin dissolved in vermouth, and it was delicious. but after he added the vermouth, he hated it. i still thought it was okay, but it definitely had an unpleasant aftertaste. maybe something was wrong with our vermouth? i was just normal martini & rossi dry. in any case, next time we'll use white wine.
instead of using madeleine pans, we just let it set in a bowl and then used a melon baller to make bite-sized portions and served it in phyllo cups with a tiny bit of roe on top for color.
Martini & Rossi Vermouth, imho, does not work for any recipe. It has a strange taste. I ONLY use Noilly Prat Vermouth. There is no weird taste to anything I make with that. I only use that Vermouth for Martinis, as well... or for that matter, anything else. I'm sorry you had that experience.
I can really imagine this made in little madeleine pans...would be a great and classy first course! (but you already knew that)
Steven is the author of the best-selling Barbecue Bible and the host of two grilling TV shows: The Primal Grill and Barbecue University.
Why are you saying it doesn't matter the type of scallop? If this is the case then the taste doesn't involve scallop as there are most defiantly differences in the taste of scallop, fresh or frozen in either Bay, Cape or Sea Scallop, weather they are natural (dry, no chemical to make them absorb water...nitrates) or wet, (mostly U.S. frozen product where there are nitrates are used to make the scallop absorb water). On the taste scale the bay scallop is at the bottom... a Kia if you want where a fresh, dry, sea scallop is a Rolls, so my point is if there is no difference int he scallop used why not change all the other ingredients? This makes absolutely no sense to me!