Orange Scallops for two:
6 dayboat (nitrate free) scallops
1-2 tsp thyme
1 orange
4 cloves garlic (don’t go overboard)
4-6 T butter
Cointreau or brandy
Melt the butter at medium low heat, zest the orange. When butter melted and water evaporated, add the garlic, minced. Reduce heat to not color the garlic, cook until softening. Add half the orange zest, the thyme (rub between fingers on the way into the pan, or use fresh thyme minced–triple the amount) and the juice of the orange. Turn up heat to medium high. Cook down until thickened, add the booze (use judgement), cook off the fun part and then set the sauce aside into a small bowl.
Put the pan back on the burner and add another T or two of butter. Add the orange zest with it, let it melt and get hot on medium high heat. Turn the heat up once it’s stopped bubbling, and add the scallops almost immediately. Let them brown quickly on each side, flipping only once. Plate the scallops when cooked (DO NOT overcook. Get the dayboat scallops so they are OK to eat raw and eat them rare).
Put the sauce back in the pan and cook more, heat it up, soak up the scallop leftovers. Serve on top the scallops.
For golden chard side:
small bunch golden chard
olive oil
salt & pepper
Simply clean the chard, seperate the stems from the leaves. Chiffonade the leaves, chop the stems in even pieces. Heat a pan to medium, add some olive oil. Cook the stems until nearly tender. Add salt and pepper. Add the leaves and reduce heat to low, cook until bright and tender.
Scalloped Potatoes (serves 4)
8 small yellow creamer potatoes, washed
3 oz cheddar, or other cheese that doesn’t become stringy
1 small/medium spring onion
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
salt & pepper
2-5 T butter
Preheat oven to 350. Slice the potatoes using the side of a cheese grater or a mandolin, ideally. Grate coarsely the cheese. Slice very thin the onions in half circles. In a 8×8 baking pan or something similar, put a few pats of butter on the bottom, very thin, or grease the pan. Add alternating single layers of potatoes and the onion broken into single pieces, add salt every other layer, a little cheese on the alternate. Add pats of butter again on top. End in onions.
Heat the milk and cream until just hot. Pour over the layered poatoes. Cook for 40-50 minutes, covered for the first 35 minutes, uncovered for the rest. I turned the heat up for the last part, to 400.
