Monday, May 11, 2009

Citrus Scallops

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I hope all you mothers out there had a lovely Mother’s Day yesterday. The weather here in central New Jersey was picture perfect – and so was my lunch – expertly prepared by our son and daughter, who came home to help celebrate the day. My husband actually chose the recipe, clipped from a Good Housekeeping magazine he found at the gym. The kids collaborated in the kitchen to produce the delicious and healthy meal you see in the above photo. It was even served to me on a plate that said “Today is your special day,” along with their gift of a dozen beautiful roses as a centerpiece.  A special day indeed.

Here’s the recipe for the scallops:

1 lemon

1 lime

1 1/4 pounds sea scallops

3 tsp. olive oil

1 T. finely chopped shallot

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

5 to 6 oz. baby lettuce greens

1/4 c. fresh parsley leaves, chopped

1. From lemon, grate 1/4 tsp. peel and squeeze 2 T. juice. From lime, grate 1/4 tsp. peel and squeeze 1 T. juice. Set juices aside. In small bowl, combine peels, 1/8 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper.

2. Place scallops on paper-towel-lined plate; pat dry. Sprinkle with citrus peel mixture.

3. Heat a cast-iron skillet until very hot. Add 2 tsp. oil until heated, then add the scallops. Cook for a few minutes only, or until opaque, turning once. Remove from pan; cover

4. To the skillet, add 1 tsp. oil and shallot; cook three minutes or until tender. Stir in Dijon mustard and citrus juices, scraping up browned bits; cook 1 minute. Toss sauce with greens; place on plates. Top with scallops and chopped parsley.

They served the scallops with couscous mixed with feta cheese, scallions, tomatoes and parsley.

The cooks at work in the kitchen:

May 2009 073

For dessert, we walked to town and indulged at Princeton’s “Bent Spoon,” a small artisanal gelateria owned by a charming and extremely hard-working young couple, Gabrielle Carbone and Matt Errico. Some of the choices we made: coffee and chocolate gelato, chocolate and earl grey gelato, mascarpone and lavender gelato. If you’re ever in town, make sure to stop in. They’ve gotten rave reviews from many local and national publications, and once you’ve tried their offerings, you’ll understand why.

May 2009 095

19 comments:

  1. I still vote for the ginger cardaMOM flavor at Bent Spoon!
    Glad you had such a nice day, your daughter looks just like you!

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  2. I always loved living just outside of Princeton (in the Junction for many years and then Plainsboro for a few), there was always something going on either in town or on campus.

    I need to go back for a "refresher".

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  3. I had a lovely day thank you and from what you've shared, so did you! The scallop dish sounds very light and easy...it's been awhile since I've had any and with grilling season already here for us, these may just be next on the menu!

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  4. I'm glad your children pampered you and that you enjoyed a lovely day all together, that's what these days are about :)
    These scallops look great, very light and fresh, perfect for summertime!

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  5. Beautiful Family!
    Congratulations to you for having created such a wonderful family!
    Happy Mother's Day!

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  6. It looks like you had a wonderful Mother's Day, Linda! Your children look like naturals in the kitchen, and what an amazing meal they prepared!
    I love the sound of lavender gelato --I hope to be able to visit the Bent Spoon someday nest time I'm is NJ!

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  7. The Bent spoon sounds wonderful and will tell my friends in the area to give it a try. Dinner looks nice and healthy. Your kids are so nice to prepare dinner.
    Joyce

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  8. I love scallops, and I bet they tasted light anf=d fresh with the lemon..sigh...

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  9. It sounds like you had a wonderful Mother's Day...the meal looks delicious and ofcourse everything ends better with a trip to the Bent Spoon....I went back before we left town and had their pear sorbet...it was wonderful...

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  10. That was very nice of your children. They did a good job.

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  11. Those scallops sure look tasty.

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  12. happy mom's day - gotta love a perfectly seared scallop!

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  13. My favorite! And your photos are gorgeous! :)
    xox

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  14. Wow, the scallops look fantastic! Sounds like you had a great day.

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  15. Actually, to make one correction in the recipe, I added the citrus peels to a little bit of flour, and then rolled the scallops in them before searing them in the skillet.

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  16. What a lovely day and a great menu you had-my husband and daughters made me homemade pizza on the barbecue for dinner-quite good I have to admit!

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  17. HOLY....CIAO Linda...that plate is jumpin' off the screen. Nicely done, glad you got pampered.

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  18. I haven't been able to find a decent gelato this side of the Atlantic. Since I live near Princeton I'll have to check out the Bent Spoon.

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