Ok, Clara, here's my entry. A little history on this dish: my fiance and I love scallops, and we wanted to do something special for Valentine's day last year. So we looked around online for a good scallop recipe, and stumbled across this one on berkeley.soar.edu (now recipesource.com). We would love to find the original creators of this meal so we can thank them...alas, it must not be...
2 lb (900 g) scallops
2 c Champagne ("Brut", or "Extra-Dry") or dry white wine
2 tb (30 ml) shallots, finely-chopped
1-2 tb capers (totally optional)
4 tb (60 ml) low-fat or non-fat sour cream
2 tb (30 ml) flour
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
4 tb (60 ml) dry bread crumbs.
Combine the Champagne and the shallots (and the capers) in a large saucepan (large enough to hold the scallops) and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the amount of liquid is reduced by half. Add the scallops and continue to cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until the contents of the pan almost reach a boil and the scallops have become firm and white. The scallops should be under-done at this point. Remove the scallops with a slotted spoon and place in an oven proof gratin dish, quiche pan, or other shallow container. Thoroughly mix the flour with the sour cream and add to the liquid remaining in the pan, stirring to combine thoroughly. Bring the liquid to a boil and continue to boil over high heat until it is the consistency of heavy cream. This may take from 2 to 5 minutes, depending on how much liquid the scallops gave up. Spoon the liquid over the scallops, sprinkle with the bread crumbs, and place under a pre-heated broiler until the bread crumbs have browned, 2 to 4 minutes.
Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6, or 8 as an appetizer.
Note: watch the timing on this recipe. It's *really* easy to overcook the scallops simply by waiting too long to eat. Or to accidentally burn the bread crumbs if you're not paying attention.
Bon appetit, all!
As always, if you have a recipe you want to share, Email me!