A cheeky little Valentine: Roasted Scallops with Hazelnut and Rosé Butter on Polenta Mash
I know most people go to restaurants on Valentine’s day, but in case you are cooking for your loved one here’s a tasty recipe using the well known aphrodisiac scallops and good Provence Rosé ;-) Joking aside, Provence Rosé is a perfect drink for a romantic tête a tête as it’s so pleasant and pretty, so perfect to set the tone for some quality time together on Valentine’s day.
To delight your beloved you will require:
- 6-8 nice quality scallops
- 2 big mashing potatoes
- 100 grams of Polenta
- some milk and cream
- a handful of hazelnuts
- some nice greens to complete the dish – I used steamed Romanesco
- Chives
- and a little Rosé…
Peel your potatoes and cut them into small chunks. Boil them until they are very soft and mash them, best with a potato ricer. Put the mash back in the pot and add the polenta. Add a small cup of milk and some cream to get a gooey consistency, then leave on a small heat for the polenta to soften within the mash. Prepare your vegetables and keep warm.
Get your pan nice and hot, add some clean vegetable oil and a knob of butter, fry the scallops both sides until they are nice and a little crispy (about 3 minutes each side). Remove the scallops from the pan then fry the hazelnuts in the pan with the left over butter. Deglaze the pan with a glug of Rosé and let the alcohol evaporate. When not much liquid is left add some more butter to create a bit of a sauce.
Put a nice blob of mash onto a clean plate, place the scallops on top and add some sauce and nuts over each one using a spoon. Chop some chives and sprinkle over, arrange your vegetables beautifully around the perimeter.
Pour a chilled glass of Rosé and enjoy la Saint Valentin. Stephen and I actually got together on Valentine’s day many moons ago, so it’s a bit of an extra special day for the two of us and I am hoping he might cook me something this time!
