Coquilles St.Jaques

“This recipe can be rather heavy on its own which is why it pairs so well with the 2012 AVV Reserve Chardonnay. The butteriness of the wine compliments the sweetness of the scallops, while the acidity cuts through some of the richness. Serve with a side salad as a first course, or alone as an appetizer.”
– Harry Wetzel IV, Owner & Assistant Winemaker

– Serves 6 –

Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups water
¾ cup AVV Reserve Chardonnay
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 sprigs each: parsley, thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 lb. bay scallops
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz. mushrooms
6 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
½ cup cream
4 Tbsp. bread crumbs
½ cup gruyere, grated

Method of Preparation:
Add water, wine, parsley, thyme, bay leaf and lemon juice to a pot and bring to a boil, remove from heat and add the scallops. Let the scallops cook for 5 minutes using the residual heat in the water (do not continue to boil the scallops). Remove the scallops from the water using a slotted spoon and set aside. Make sure to pull out and discard the herbs, but save the cooking water.

Rough chop the mushrooms (it doesn’t have to be too fine), melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan over medium heat and add the shallots, garlic and mushrooms. Cook until most of the moisture released from the mushrooms is cooked off. Add the mushrooms to the scallops. Return the pan to the stove and add the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for approximately 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly; do not allow the flour/butter mixture to get dark. Slowly add 2 cups of the reserved scallop cooking liquid, whisking until all the clumps are gone and it has thickened. Reduce heat to low and add the cream. Simmer for approximately 2 minutes, season to taste with salt and pepper and then add the scallop/mushroom/shallot mixture and mix to blend. Divide between 6 heat-proof ramekin with a dusting of bread crumbs and shredded Gruyere.

Preheat broiler and broil the ramekins on a sheet pan until the mixture begins to bubble and the top turns a golden brown. Remove from broiler and serve.