Coquilles St. Jacques (Scallops in Cream Sauce)

Coquilles St. Jacques is a rich, indulgent classic recipe that has become somewhat of a unicorn in the culinary world. It has fallen away from popularity, not because it isn't delicious, but because by modern standards, it breaks the rules of cooking seafood. And it's fattening. Very fattening.

I have heard time and again that seafood cannot stand with heavy would-be contending ingredients such as rich cheese sauces, onion, and mushrooms. Coquilles St. Jacques thumbs its nose at this silly idea, and features the scallop as the star flavor, not just in spite of, but because of all of its other hearty supporting ingredients.

This Coquilles St. Jacques recipe is not for the timid. Get a real understanding of the ingredients and the steps before proceeding, (I screwed up one step) but do proceed. You will be glad you did.

Coquilles St. Jacques

Time: 1 1/2 hours

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

Ingredients

1/2 lb mushrooms, minced

1 stick unsalted butter, divided

1 small red onion, minced very fine

2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

1 Tbsp minced terragon

1 Cup dry vermouth (dry white wine is fine too)

1/2 Cup water

1 bay leaf

10-12 sea scallops (the big ones)

2 Tbsp flour

1/2 Cup heavy cream

2/3 Cup grated Swiss cheese

Juice from 1 lemon

Directions

Preheat broiler to high. 

Heat 6 tbsp. butter, in medium skillet. Add onion, mushrooms, salt, and pepper to pan. Saute', stirring occasionally, over medium heat, until mushrooms are well browned and onion is softened. 

Stir in tarragon and parsley. Pour contents of pan into shallow gratin dishes. 

Bring, vermouth, bay leaf, salt, and water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add scallops and poach until just firm, about 3 minutes. 

(note the onions in the pot... I did this by accident and had to strain them out. Yep. I made an oops)

Remove scallops and nest on mushrooms in dishes. 

Continue boiling cooking liquid on high heat  until reduced by 2/3, about 15 minutes.

Heat remaining butter in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, whisking constantly, until a blonde roux is achieved. Add cooking liquid and cream. Reduce until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in cheese, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and pour the sauce over scallops. 

Broil until browned and bubbly, about 4 minutes.

This serves well with a baked potato or salad.

Enjoy!

A Twist on Southern Sweet Tea

There are many things that are done in the South that are done better than anywhere else on the planet! Fried chicken, cornbread, squash, grits, and black-eyed peas, are just a few of those things that come to mind.

 

Sweet tea is a Southern staple, and has been around for over a hundred years. In the late 1800s, sweet tea was considered a luxury, as the ingredients were so rare and expensive. At that time in our history, ice had to be imported, and was a very rare treat, indeed. Serving beverages with sugar, and especially ice, was a way to show off one's wealth to company and business contacts, and was considered the highest form of Southern hospitality. Today, sweet tea can be made for pennies, and is so simple to put together that every self-respecting Southern girl has learned to make this refreshing libation.

There is always room for variation, and while keeping sweet tea Southern, I am going to forsake the traditional recipe of steeping black tea in hot water for something a little more fun.

Twisted Sun Tea

Time: 5 minutes active

8 hours inactive

Level: Easy

What you will need:

Mason jars with lids and rings

Tea bags in flavors of your choice

Mint sprigs, lemon slices, strawberry slices, or other flavorings and garnishes

Sugar, honey, sorghum, or other sweetener

Cold water

Ice

 (this can still be imported, but I wouldn't bother)

Directions:

Put sweetener of choice into the bottom of each mason jar. This is to your taste, and amounts may be adjusted. I used 2 Tbsp of white sugar in each 1 pint jar.

Put one tea bag per pint into each of the jars. Again, there are no rules here. Use black tea, peppermint tea, green tea, or any other tea you desire. I am using peppermint tea today.

Add lemon slices, peppermint sprigs, raspberries, strawberries, or any other flavoring that you desire. Again, this is to your taste! Be imaginative, get the little ones involved in making their own! Have FUN!

Fill jars with water, leaving enough room at the top to add ice later on! Place the lids on the jars and screw the rings on, just hand tight.

Leave in the sun to steep for six hours, shaking once to mix in sugar about half way the steeping process, then refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. 

When ready to serve, remove the tea bag, finish filling the jar with ice, add a straw, and enjoy this refreshing sweet tea the Southern way; right in the mason jar!

And as always, please let me know if you try this!

Shrimp Magazine - Joey K's Style

My husband, Tim, and I went to New Orleans for the second time back in March. There was so much we wanted to do there, that it was impossible to cover it all in a week. The history is so rich and colorful, and it is evident in everything. The people, the music, the architecture, and the food all tell a story about New Orleans' influence on America.

While visiting The Big Easy, we always make sure to sample as much local cuisine as we can. The famous Joey K's Restaurant on Magazine Street in the Garden District is one of the "don't miss" places in NOLA. They are in a cute little building on a corner lot with tables on the sidewalk and local artists' work on the walls. Their menu features New Orleans cuisine including Red Beans and Rice, Trout Tchoupitoulas, and Creole Jambalaya. They have also been featured on the Food Network show, Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

Tim, being the shrimp fan that he is, ordered one of their more famous dishes, Shrimp Magazine. Their menu reads, "Large butterfly shrimp sauteed in olive oil & white wine with garlic, artichoke hearts, ham, & green onion served over angel hair pasta". Sounds like a winner, no? I assure you that it was.

On arriving home, I couldn't wait to try my hand and making this dish. Here is my recipe.

Joey K's My Shrimp Magazine

Time: 30 minutes

Level: Intermediate

Ingredients

1 lb angel hair pasta, prepared according to package directions

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 lb ham, diced

10-12 artichoke hearts, halved

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 C white wine

1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

1 medium bunch green onions, chopped

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

(leave the stuff in the green can on the shelf at the store) 

Directions

While angel hair pasta is cooking...

Heat Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Drizzle in olive oil and add ham and artichoke hearts. Saute' until the ham and artichoke hearts begin to brown. 

 Toss in garlic and cook 1-2 minutes, until the scent of garlic begins to fill the room.

 Pour in wine, Cajun seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce, and allow to cook for 15 minutes.

In the last 2 minutes of cooking, stir in the shrimp, only allowing it to cook until pink. Don't overcook the shrimp, it will be dry and rubbery, and not as good.

Serve over pasta and top with Parmesan cheese and green onion.

<-------This is Joey K's famous Shrimp Magazine

This is my Shrimp Magazine recipe ------->

Please let me know if you try it! I'd love to hear from you!