Coquilles St Jacques Niçoise Recipes

EASY COQUILLES SAINT JACQUES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place six (1 1/2-cup) gratin dishes on 2 sheet pans.
• Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Add the seafood stock and whisk until it is smooth and thickened. Whisk in the cream, curry powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
• Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until tender. Slice the mushroom caps 1/2 inch thick, add to the shallots, and cook for 8 minutes, stirring often. Add the Cognac and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and set aside.
• Combine the bread crumbs, parsley, Gruyère, and olive oil in a medium bowl and stir to moisten the crumbs. Set aside.
• Add the mushrooms to the cream sauce. Add the scallops and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, mix well, and divide among the gratin dishes. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly on top and bake for 20 minutes, until the scallops are cooked and the sauce is lightly browned and bubbly. Serve hot.

HOW TO MAKE COQUILLES SAINT-JACQUES

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; saute shallots in the hot butter until translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir mushrooms, salt, and black pepper into shallots. Turn heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are golden brown, about 10 minutes.
• Pour white wine over mushroom mixture, dissolving any browned bits of food on bottom of skillet into wine; bring to a simmer. Gently place scallops into wine and poach in the mushroom mixture until barely firm, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer scallops to a bowl. Strain mushroom mixture into another bowl, reserving mushrooms and cooking liquid separately. Return strained liquid to skillet, pour in any accumulated juices from scallops, and stir in cream. Bring to a boil and cook until cream sauce is reduced by about half, about 10 minutes. Stir often. Turn off heat and let mixture cool for 1 minute.
• Quickly whisk egg yolk into cream sauce until combined. Transfer skillet to a work surface (such as a heatproof countertop or cutting board) and stir cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoons tarragon, and lemon zest into sauce.
• Divide mushroom mixture into scallop shells, spreading mushrooms out to cover bottoms of shells; place about 3 scallops onto each portion. Spoon cream sauce over scallops to coat; let sauce drizzle down into mushrooms. Sprinkle lightly with Gruyere cheese and paprika or cayenne.
• Turn oven's broiler to high. Slightly crinkle a large sheet of aluminum foil and place onto a baking sheet. Place filled shells onto foil and press lightly to help them stay level.
• Broil about 10 inches from the heat source until sauce is bubbling and cheese is lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to serving plates lined with napkins to prevent shells from tipping; garnish each portion with 2 crossed tarragon leaves.

INA GARTEN'S MAKE-AHEAD COQUILLES ST.-JACQUES

Steps:

• Set a saucepan over medium heat, and melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in it. When it foams, add the flour, and cook for approximately 4 minutes, whisking constantly. Add the stock, and whisk again, until it is smooth and thick. Add the cream, curry powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring the sauce just to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
• Put 3 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan set over medium heat. When it melts and foams, add the shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are clear and tender, approximately 5 minutes. Add the sliced mushroom caps, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until they have released their liquid and are just starting to brown. Add the brandy or Cognac, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the alcohol has mostly evaporated. Add a teaspoon of salt to the mixture and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and stir again to combine. Add mushroom mixture to the cream sauce, and set aside.
• Combine the bread crumbs, parsley and Gruyère in a large bowl, stir to combine, then moisten the mixture with the olive oil, stirring again to combine.
• Use last tablespoon of butter to grease 6 1 1/2-cup gratin dishes. Divide the scallops evenly among them and top with equal amounts of the cream and mushroom sauce. Top each gratin dish with a handful or two of the bread-crumb mixture. Place dishes on a sheet tray, cover gently with foil or plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to a day.
• When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400. Remove cover from sheet tray, and place in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned and bubbling and the scallops are cooked through.

COQUILLES ST. JACQUES (SCALLOPS WITH MUSHROOMS IN CREAM SAUCE)

Steps:

• Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan and add the shallots. Cook briefly, stirring, and add the mushrooms. Cook until wilted and add the salt, pepper, and wine. Add the scallops and bring to the boil. Cook until all the scallops are heated through, stirring gently as necessary. Take care not to let the scallops overcook or they will toughen. Using a slotted spoon, remove and set aside the scallops and mushrooms. Reserve the liquid. There should be about 3/4 cup of liquid. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and add the flour, stirring rapidly with a wire whisk. When blended add the reserved liquid, stirring until thickened and smooth. Add the milk and 1 cup of the cream. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of cayenne. Whip the remaining 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Fold it into the sauce. Use 6 individual scallop shells or ramekins. Spoon equal portions of the scallops and mushrooms into each shell. Spoon the sauce over the scallop mixture. Preheat the broiler to high. Place the filled shells under the broiler about 6 inches from the source of heat and bake until a nice brown glaze forms on top. As the scallops broil, turn shells occasionally for even browning, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

COQUILLES ST.-JACQUES WITH BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Marinate scallops in vermouth 15 minutes.
• Make beurre blanc:
• Simmer shallot in vinegar and wine in a small heavy saucepan until liquid is reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Remove from heat and add water. Reduce heat to low and cook, whisking in 6 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon at a time, adding each new piece before previous one has melted completely and occasionally lifting pan from heat to cool mixture. (Sauce must not get hot enough to liquefy; it should be the consistency of a thin hollandaise.) Remove from heat and whisk in tarragon and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm off heat, covered.
• Cook scallops:
• Drain scallops and pat dry between paper towels. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of remaining butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides. While butter is heating, season half of scallops with salt and pepper. Sauté scallops, turning once, until just cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Wipe out skillet and sauté remaining scallops in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in same manner.
• Serve scallops with beurre blanc.

COQUILLES ST. JACQUES NIçOISE

Steps:

• Trim off the ends of the zucchini. Cut it into one-and-a-halfinch lengths; cut each piece lengthwise into quarter-inch slices. Stack the slices and cut them into quarter-inch strips. There should be about one and a half cups. Set aside.
• Cut away and discard the core of the tomato. Peel the tomato and cut it in half. Gently squeeze to remove the seeds. Cut the tomato into quarter-inch cubes. There should be about one cup. Set aside.
• Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a small, heavy skillet and add the zucchini strips and salt and pepper. Cook quickly, stirring and tossing, about one minute. Do not overcook. The strips must remain crisp and tender. Drain.
• Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a skillet and add the scallops, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and tossing, about one and a half to two minutes. Do not overcook.
• Pour the scallops onto a warm serving platter. To the skillet add the butter, garlic and shallots. Cook about 30 seconds, stirring. Add the tomato and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds. Add the zucchini and heat thoroughly. Pour this over the scallops and serve.