GORDON RAMSAY RECIPES

This seared scallops on fresh corn “cream, ” shows that you can take a few seasonal ingredients, put them together simply and quickly, and with a little luck, and a very hot pan, produce something pretty special.

There are three keys to producing sufficiently seared scallops. First, they must be perfectly dry. Second, the oil goes on the cold scallops, not in the hot pan. Third, your pan must be extremely hot, which means you have to use a very heavy, cast iron or stainless steel pan.

That bit of brown caramelization on the edges of the scallops might not look like a big deal, but it is. It’s a huge deal, and makes a tremendous difference in the final flavor. So, if you have the ways and means, I highly recommend you follow the procedure as shown.

As you’ll see, I used fresh white corn, but frozen will work in a pinch, although using that in August is almost a crime against nature, but let your conscience be your guide. Also, frozen corn is almost always yellow, and I really prefer the color of the white corn here. In any case, I hope you give this delicious, and very summery scallop dish a try soon. Enjoy!

For 4 first-course sized portions:

For the corn “cream”:
2 ears white corn

2 tbsp butter

salt to taste

1 cup chicken broth or water

pinch of cayenne

For the scallops:

12 large scallops

2 tsp high-heat vegetable oil (like canola or grape seed oil)

1/2 tsp smoked paprika, or to taste

1 tsp kosher salt

1 red fresno chili, sliced thin (I glazed my pepper rings in the hot pan with a slash of water, a small chunk of butter, and juice of 1/2 lemon)
radish sprouts to garnish

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In this age of cutting back on fat whenever and wherever we
can (and by “we” I mean “you”), we forget that throughout most of history, this
was the complete opposite. Fat was a concentrated, powerful fuel that literally
kept people going, and this red eye gravy is a little taste of those times.

The challenge in tough times is to make those greasy pan
drippings more palatable, more interesting, and more delicious. It’s not like
families struggling through the depression had pots of demiglace reducing on
the stove, or bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon sitting around to deglaze their
cast iron skillets – heck, they probably didn’t even have a decent Merlot. So
they used what they had; like a splash of leftover coffee.

Is this a recipe that would have been developed based solely
on how awesome it tastes? Probably not, but that’s not to say it isn’t still
very tasty. It is. The way the bitter coffee marries with the sweet, smoky fat
is far from unpleasant, and infinitely better than simply pouring the pan
drippings over your food.

By the way, the name apparently comes from the fact that
when the sauce is poured in a bowl and brought to the table, the fat and coffee
separate, it takes on the appearance of a big, reddish eye. Of course there’s
another legend about how General Andrew Jackson told a hung-over cook to make a
gravy for his ham that was as red as his bloodshot eyes.

I’m pretty sure whoever made up that story also had very red
eyes, but not from whiskey. Anyway, like I said in the video, I did this as
more of a culinary experiment than a “you have to try this” recipe, but
regardless, I think it’s an interesting dish, and one I’d be interested in
hearing about if you do try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 portions:

1/2 cup of chopped fatty ham scraps

1 tbsp vegetable oil

4 thick slices of ham

1 tsp flour

about 2/3 cup black coffee

black pepper and cayenne to taste

Gordon Ramsay Recipes

Tag: cast iron

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Seared Scallops on Corn "Cream" – Not to Sound Corny, But This is Summer in a Bowl

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Ham with Red Eye Gravy – Something From Nothing is Something

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