When my husband and I were newlyweds we had a couple of disastrous restaurant experiences on Valentine’s Day. There’s nothing like a jostled waiter dumping a bottle of red wine on your new suede boots to suck the romance right out of the night! That’s when I decided that Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to be home by the fire with your honey or best friend or whom ever you love, whipping up a beautiful dinner and popping open a bottle of champagne. Going out to dinner for Valentine’s is such a racket. Get your significant other to promise a dinner out when it’s not a holiday and you might actually get some good food in a relaxing atmosphere. That’s a present to look forward to.
With that in mind, I’m already “practicing” a Valentine’s Day Menu. I have a couple of ideas and just want to give them a try and see what seems like the most fun. A prerequisite is that the menu is either fast or do ahead so the cook enjoys the meal too. It has to be a little special, not that my husband doesn’t freak out over homemade pizza, I just want something with a touch more sophistication. Seafood is a good choice because it’s usually quick to cook and with a bit of tweaking can be pretty special. Scallops were gorgeous at the store (my seafood guy is great at recommendations). Plus scallops always have a little wow factor, like a celebrity just walked in the room. The hard part was coming up with an interesting presentation. I remembered a few weeks ago being at a luncheon expecting the usual mayonnaise chicken casserole and a roll when we were all surprised by sautéed spiced chicken and Israeli couscous. The couscous was marvelous and different and would be just yummy with scallops. A maple and cider sauce was a cinch to make without getting another pan dirty (another important prerequisite). My husband loved this dish. He actually said that this was one of his favorite dinners ever and I’ve been cooking for him for A LONG TIME! Do you need a better recommendation?
This recipe is easy - 10 minutes with hardly any initial prep time, and truly delicious. There is one more recipe to tryout before deciding on the main course, and then it’s on to salad and dessert. But, all in all, you can’t possibly go wrong with this - add it to your recipe collection if not your Valentine’s Day Menu!
*Make couscous 1st – directions below. While it cooks you have exactly the right amount of time to cook the scallops and sauce.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 to 8 sea scallops
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp apple cider
2 Tbsp white wine
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ tsp thyme, dried or fresh
Directions
In a large, heavy skillet over high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter with olive oil.
Pat scallops dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
Add scallops to the skillet and sauté until cooked through and nicely browned, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Transfer scallops to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Don’t wash skillet!!
Lower heat to medium high and to the same skillet add the cider, champagne, maple syrup, and shallots; boil until liquid is reduced to about half 1 to 2 minutes.
Add 1 Tbsp butter, whipping cream, and thyme.
Boil until mixture is reduced to sauce consistency, about 2 minutes.
Return scallops to the skillet and stir until heated through, about 1 minute.
Israeli Couscous
You can follow package directions for two serving. I did that, but substituted chicken broth for water, and sautéed the couscous with one minced garlic clove in one Tbsp of melted butter for about 1 minute before adding the liquid.
Thanks Mike
