UNUSUAL TECHNIQUE: SCALLOPS ROCK

Or how to cook two scallops with one stone...


I recently saw a food program featuring a French chef, Fanny Rey (remember this name) in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, who used this technique on the simplest way as possible, a stone heated on a BBQ flame or in the oven (thus, it can be made in Winter), on which she spread a splash of olive oil to sear scallops. This is surely not a new technique at all. It might even be the most ancestral technique to cook food as it was used in the prehistory with lava stones or stones put in fire...
And of course, a lot of sophisticated grilling stones, pierrades, etc. are available on the market. They are electrically powered and they useat used either a real stone or a reconstituted one. But real or reconstituted, this not the same magic as using a "raw" hot stone.
Fanny Rey also flambéed her scallops with pastis, but apart the fact that I haven't renewed my stock of pastis, I felt that the ingredients that I used didn't fit a flambéing. But next time, I will flambé, I promise!

Based on this prehistorical technique, I improvised this 3-scallop dish menu with what the vegetables I had on hand. Pure instant and instinct cooking, but not complicated at all.


Scallops rock #1

Scallops seared on a hot stone, served on a bed of blanched then rapidly sautéed broccolini, grated broccoli florets and piment d'Espelette

Scallops rock #2

Scallop seared on a hot stone, broth-poached rutabaga ravioli, rutabaga broth monté au beurre*, vinegar and fried salted capers, grated lemon rind, chopped green onion, pink pepper

Scallop mood #3

Scallops seared on a hot stone, grilled butternut croissants, toasted butternut seeds, rutabaga broth monté au beurre*, grated lemon rind, chopped green onion 


* A rutabaga broth, made with all the rutabaga trims (in which I also poached the rutabaga "ravioli" slices of #2), reduced, monté au beurre (literally "mounted with butter", it just means that I added a generous dose of butter and let it melt while rotating the pan - the butter is not whisked as it is commonly believed) and lemon juice. This is a bit like a beurre blanc where the broth replaces the wine. By the way, a classical beurre blanc would perfectly made it too, but I had this delicious broth and I didn't want the shallots...

Comments