From the Two Fat Ladies cookbook
- 12 fresh large (or 24 small) scallops on their shells
- 8 young leeks
- 2oz unsalted butter
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 5oz dry white wine
- 4 tbsp dry vermouth
- 5oz thick cream
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- a bunch of parsley, flat-leaf preferably, roughly chopped
Remove the scallops from their shells or ask your fishmonger to do this. Separate the white flesh from the corals, and detach the hard skin round the whites and the tiny black sac from the coral. Wash clean under a running tap. Halve the whites horizontally. Leave to dry off on some paper towel.
Wash the leeks and discard the green parts (you can use them for soup or stock). Slice the white stems lengthwise into narrow strips about 2in long. Place in a saucepan with 1 oz of the butter, a pinch of salt and 8 tablespoons of water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Keep hot.
In another pan melt the rest of the butter and then gently cook the shallots until they are soft. Add the wine, vermouth and the scallops with their corals. Bring just to boiling point, then turn the heat very low and simmer for exactly 2 minutes, or less if the scallops are small.
Remove the leeks from their liquid using a slotted instrument and place in a heated dish. With the same implement place the scallops on top. Add the leek juice to the scallop juice and boil briskly until the liquid is reduced to 8 tablespoonsful. Pour in the cream, bring back to the boil and bubble for a moment or two. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the arranged scallops and leeks. Scatter the chopped parsley over all.
This recipe could be modified to make a terrine by putting a layer of the cooked leaks on the bottom of a terrine form and topping with one or two scallops (depending on their size). Push out of the form and sprinkle with some chopped parsley (or finely chopped chives). Reduce and strain the liquid ingredients to make a sauce poured around the base of the terrine.
The Two Fat Ladies, Ebury Press, London, 1996. p.26
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