Apple Reduction over Seared Scallops

Skill level: Medium

Planning your romantic quarantine at-home Valentine’s dinner with the kids at home? We are, too; we feel you. We worked with Lunches and Littles for the ultimate romantic and also family-friendly kids meal. Get the candles out and set the table for two plus kids.

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh sea scallops
• 4 Autumn Glory apples
• 1 lemon juiced
• Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, more as needed
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: sprouts/micro-greens for garnish

Directions

1. Pat scallops dry with paper towels, and remove side muscles. The side muscle is a little tag of muscle tissue on the side of the scallop. You can feel it when you touch them. To remove it, just pinch it with your fingers, gently pull it off and discard it. Then season scallops with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Next, peel and core all the apples. Discard core/seeds. Then, with only 2 of your cored apples, cut pieces into smaller pieces and place them in a high-powered blender.
3. Add fresh squeezed lemon juice and ¼ cup of water to your blender. Blend/pulse until smooth. *If the mixture is still thick, add more water, a tablespoon at a time.
4. Dice the remaining 2 apples: cutting them into smaller, uniform pieces as shown. Set aside.
5. Strain blended apple liquid through a fine sieve into a medium-sized bowl. If you don't have a sieve, you could use a cheesecloth, nut milk bag, etc. Add diced apples to the mixture and set aside.
6. Next, heat a few drizzles of olive oil in a large pan (cast iron works best for this) over medium heat, adding scallops in batches and cooking until they get a golden brown crust, as shown. (Approx. 3 min. per side).
7. Once golden on both sides and cooked through, carefully transfer the scallops to a large plate, using an inverted bowl over the top of your plate to keep the scallops warm. Repeat until all scallops are cooked.
8. Once done, add butter to the pan, scraping up any browned bits, etc. Add apple mixture with diced apples to the pan and brown sugar. Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken up a bit. Stir often until the sauce has reached the desired drizzly consistency and the apples are soft.
9. Remove pan from heat, then add scallops back to the pan, pouring some of the apple reduction over top scallops to coat.
10. To serve: plate scallops, then spoon additional reduction over top and season with salt and pepper. Optional: garnish with sprouts.
11. Enjoy!