Recipe #193: Coquilles St. Jacques

I was interested in this dish that I found in a cookbook thanks to the picture... And it something new to do with scallops instead of just sauteing them.  Because of the wine and mushrooms, this reminded me of a sort of scallops-version of chicken Marsala   The flavor is very rich thanks to the wine and cheese, and it was a hit with Nick, who particularly loves scallops.

I got distracted and burned the bread crumbs in the 

broiler a little, but nothing was ruined, thankfully!

The goods!

INGREDIENTS:

3 tbsp butter

1/2 c fresh breadcrumbs 

1 medium yellow onion, sliced then halved

1 lb large sea scallops (NOTE:  The store didn't have these, so I had to settle for the much-smaller bay ones)

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

3 tbs all-purpose flour

1/2 c dry white wine

1/2 c water

3/4 c half-and-half

2 oz Swiss or Jarlsberg (which is what I used) cheese, coarsely grated

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the broiler.  Grease four individual 8-10oz broiler-safe baking dishes (I used 2 larger ramekin dishes).  In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over moderate heat.  Pour the butter into a small bowl; stir in bread crumbs.  Set the buttered crumbs aside.

In the skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat.  Add onion; saute until soft, 5 minutes.  Increase the heat to moderate.  Stir in scallops and mushrooms; saute for 5 minutes.

Add flour to the scallops and mix well.  Gradually stir in wine and water.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens, 2-3 minutes.  Stir in half-and-half; heat the mixture until it is hot but not boiling.  Remove the skillet from the heat.

Divide the scallop mixture among the baking dishes.  Sprinkle each serving with an equal amount of cheese and top the cheese with the buttered bread crumbs.  Broil 4 inches from heat until lightly browned on top, 1-2 minutes.  Serve immediately.