Friday, December 5, 2008

Meet Me In Charleston

Scallops Charleston that is. This recipe by Paula Deen has been on my list to try for quite some time. Last week when family was over, I made it as an appetizer rather than the main dish it was intended to be in the recipe & it went over well. I love scallops so this was a nice treat & would also be perfect as an appetizer for Christmas.



1 1/4 lbs fresh sea scallops
Salt & pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Basil
Flour, for dusting
3/4 cup sherry or dry white wine
1 shallot, finely chopped
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup grated Gruyere

Season scallops with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika & basil. I didn't measure these but just made sure each scallop had seasoning. Dust scallops with flour. Saute in a pan that has been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray & a small amount of olive oil. Cook scallops on both sides until browned. Remove scallops from pan. To the drippings in the pan, add sherry, shallots & mushrooms; cook for approximately 3 to 4 minutes.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat & add 3 tablespoons flour. Mix well & cook for 2 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly (may be too thick to even "stir" but just go with it), Pour shallots, mushrooms & liquid from scallops into flour mixture. Mix well. Stir scallops into sauce. (If too thick**, you can thin with clam juice or fish or chicken stock.)

Transfer to 4 individual baking dishes, top with cheese & broil for 1 minute, until browned. Serve with wild rice. Or as an appetizer, serve with slices of a fresh baguette.

My Thoughts:

The flour & butter mixture was definitely thick. I actually felt that it was too much flour for the butter so I increased the butter from 2 to 3 tblsp. And after stirring everything together I added some chicken stock & mixed it very well. Just roll with it & if once everything is combined it is too thick add some liquid. The process was a bit weird for a minute there but the result was worth it.

I also made this as one appetizer in a round casserole dish rather than individual dishes but either way would work. I use Gruyere, which is insanely expensive, but use Swiss if you'd like. And if you hate mushrooms you can easily omit them without taking away from the dish.

Click Here to Print Recipe




Hope everyone has a nice weekend. Ours will be a busy & festive one, already kicked off by Tristan's Christmas show last night. He was awesome as a Wiseman in what marked his 5th & final program at his school. Tonight we will watch our beautiful little town light up for the holidays & tomorrow is our church's annual Singing Christmas Trees Show (above) which has been going on for over 30 years. It is quite the event with two 40ft Christmas trees!

And to cap off the exciting weekend, we have our 6th year wedding anniversary on the 7th but in the morning Tristan will have his 1st ever official playdate with another boy at our house. We've had playdates with his girlfriends over the years but I never found a chemistry with both another boy & his mom until now. We plan to put up the bounce house, perfect for 2 boys, & share in some sangria once it hits noon. Or 11:50. Have a great weekend all!!!!!

35 comments:

FROGGITY! said...

Yayyy! I'm first today. My favorite day: Friday!!! And that LOOKS SO DELISH! Hope your weekend is delightful!! Singing Christmas tree: fun!!! :)

Kameron said...

I wil definitely be trying that recipe! And who says you have to wait til noon! My theory is that it is noon somewhere so go for it!!

Tam said...

THAT IS ONE WAY that I have never had Scallops...it will on my list as a must try.


Have a GREAT WEEKEND and Happy Anniversary!

Yellow Beads said...

I love scallops-but hate mushrooms--wonder if I can leave them out!?
I am so glad they brought back Singing Christmas Trees!!!

Kacey said...

Sounds like a wonderful weekend! Happy Anniversary and have fun on your play date!

Mary said...

Sounds delicious!! And the Singing Christmas trees sound like a lot of fun.

Kristina P. said...

I do love me some scallops!!

Lula! said...

Will you marry me? And drink Sangria with me at 11:50? Please???

Happy anniversary...happy playdate...happy Living Christmas Tree. Girl, you ARE busy this weekend!

Maria said...

Happy Anniversary!! Sounds like you are keeping busy!! Tis the season, right? Have fun!! And I love scallops!! I need to make them...and soon!

The Blonde Duck said...

Those are cool trees! Happy anniversary! I hope you have a fun time!

Anonymous said...

Have a great weekend! And Happy Anniversary! I feel like I've seen that Christmas Tree program before. When I was little. Who knows!

Anonymous said...

eeewww **wrinkles up her nose** i not likey scallops!! but i wanted to stop in and say thanks for the comment and encouragement!! it means a lot!! have a great weekend! hugs and prayers..

Jen said...

I hope you have an awesome weekend. I am going to try and be festive too. I am going to get into Christmas if it kills me.
Oh and I love me some scallops.

Melissa said...

So gues what... my ex- MIL (my boy's grandmother) sings in those Singing Christmas trees....and we love to go every year too...

Mo said...

Have a great weekend! Happy anniversary early.

And anytime you wanna come by and cook for me, just let me know. I'll make sure to keep the grey goose flowing.

Pam said...

What a rich and tasty scallop dish.

Have fun this weekend and with Tristan's first play date.

Anonymous said...

11:50...9:50...what's the diff?

Bounce house? That how you hurt your neck?

Lump said...

ok I definitely can't make an attempt at this dish. I am not that skilled.

you have one busy weekend ahead of you but sounds like a lot of fun!

"once it hits noon. Or 11:50." my kind of lady! :)

michelle matthews said...

First of all - Thank yo so much for your super sweet comments about my boys. That melted my heart! So sweet!!!! They do have super sweet hearts too. Now they can be toots but they are super sweet. :)
Those scallops look awesome! My husband's favorite!
Have so much this weekend! Sangria sounds wonderful! The boys are going to have a ball in that bouncehouse!

Heather said...

Happy Anniversary! Have fun on your playdate! Wish I could partake in the sangria....and the scallops!

tiarastantrums said...

sounds like a great weekend coming up

Rosso said...

I'd change the flour to wholewheat. Healthier option. Check out my blog for some more health tips!

Lorie said...

How fun! I bet he was a great wiseman! It sounds like your holiday is in full swing!

Unknown said...

You do have a busy weekend : ). I am very excited about the bounce house. That sounds like loads of fun : ). I am a little excited about the sangria too. That sounds nice! You are so much fun! I wish I lived near you so we could have a play date : ).

On The Wings Of Love said...

This looks delish...but I guess frozen scallops with freezer burn might not work heh LOL
That's all I've got! .....I do have ground turkey though so I'll try that recipe for Sunday's dinner.

Thank you for being my menu planner LOL

Bre
http://chantillygrace.blogspot.com/

Mommy2Twinkies-Deb said...

The scallops look lovely, and I'll keep this recipe in mind. I grew up on a bay island, so i kind of prefer bay scallops... I think the recipe still works though. The trees look wonderful!! Sounds like you've had a crazy weekend like mine!

Nazarina A said...

I love how you "troubleshoot" your recipes! This is a sign of a good and gracious cook. The dish does look extremely saucy and delicious to me though!
Have a merry Christmas! Love those Christmas trees. I bet your son enjoyed the show!!!

Heather said...

ohh, looks yummy! and i don't even like scallops. and i love the holiday pictures :)

re your comment on my blog. sometimes i comment in my comment box, sometimes i just return them on the other person's blog (moreso the second, because everyone loves comments!). just depends on how bored i am :)

Jenny said...

What a great looking dinner. I rarely cook with fish, but want to start cooking with it more! Have a great rest of your weekend!

Deanna said...

Our town has a singing Christmas tree too. It is a wonderful tradition. I love it.

carrhop said...

I love scallops--so this will have to go on my Steph list--

Blessings!

Angela said...

Looks delish, Steph! I love Paula's recipes, and I have a number I want to try. I love scallops so may have to try this one - love anything with mushrooms, sherry and butter. How can you go wrong with those ingredients, LOL?

And happy anniversary to you guys!

Angela said...

Looks delish, Steph! I love Paula's recipes, and I have a number I want to try. I love scallops so may have to try this one - love anything with mushrooms, sherry and butter. How can you go wrong with those ingredients, LOL?

And happy anniversary to you guys!

wanto said...

Yummy, try this food.
www.bonafidenice.com/crab_chair.html

seafood gourmet said...

Delicious food and great photo