Bay Scallops with Beurre Blanc Sauce, Hazelnuts, and Cauliflower Puree

Sounds fancy but everything has very simple ingredients. It was a lovely light meal for us to enjoy when my daughter was out at with friends. I served it over simple whipped cauliflower and topped it with micro greens.  I meant to add chopped chives but completely forgot.  I made some toasted ciabatta to scoop up some of the sauce with. I used bay scallops because they are available fresh at our local fish store and are sweet and tender but sea scallops would work here as well. With bay scallops there is a small white bit where the scallop was attached to the shell that you should peel off before cooking. 1 pound of scallops was enough for 3-4 people.

Ingredients:

1 lb. of bay scallops, side muscle removed
1/2 cup of hazelnuts
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil
Chives or micro greens

Beurre Blanc Sauce:
1/2 cup of white wine
1 shallot, peeled and minced
2 tbsps of heavy cream
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 stick of butter, cut into pieces

Cauliflower Puree:
1 head of cauliflower cut into florets
2 tbsp of butter
1/3 of a cup of sour cream
Milk to thin
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes until browned and fragrant but take care not to burn.  If your hazelnuts are unpeeled you can remove the peels easily from the roasted nuts by rolling them in a towel and then roughly chop. Set aside while preparing the other elements.

For the cauliflower puree, steam the cauliflower in a shallow pool of water for 9 minutes. Drain and add to a blender. add in the butter, sour cream, salt & pepper to taste and milk (I usually start with 2-3 tbsps and add more if needed to thin). Puree all of the ingredients until smooth and then taste for seasoning. 

Next make the beurre blanc. Place the wine, lemon juice, and shallots in a small pot and boil until reduced to a small amount of liquid, about 5 minutes.  Add in heavy cream and reduce for 2 more minutes. Strain out the shallots and then whisk in the butter a few cubes at a time until the sauce is smooth and thickened.

Cook the scallops last, they will cook very quickly. Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Season the scallops with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Do not over crowd the pan, you do not want the scallops to boil in their own liquid. Allow to brown on one side and then flip over. The cooking will be very quick, about 1 minute per side. 

To assemble, put a smear of the cauliflower puree on the bottom of the plate. Top with the cooked bay scallops and drizzle with the beurre blanc sauce. Top with the chopped nuts, micro greens, and chives and enjoy!