Scallop Lettuce Wraps, Truffle Sauce

Scallop Lettuce Wraps, Truffle Sauce

🥬 Scallop Lettuce Wraps 🥬
🌿 Truffle Sauce with Chervil 🌿
🌼 Radish, Edible Flowers 🌸

Raw, buttery day-boat Sea Scallops, renowned for their subtle sweetness and delicate velvety texture, are paired with crisp, peppery radish slices and a heavenly truffle sauce infused with chervil. These delightful scallop clusters are then wrapped in tender little gem lettuce leaves, creating an exquisite culinary experience.

Scallop Lettuce Wraps, Truffle Sauce

Mizuna Blossoms and Stock Flower Petals

Mizuna blossoms share a similar flavor profile with the leaves of the mizuna plant, offering a mild yet peppery taste with hints of Chinese mustard.

Stock flowers are known for their dense clusters of fragrant blooms that come in a variety of colors, including white, pink, purple, and shades of red and yellow. They have a snappy radish-like flavor with floral undertones. The taste can vary depending on the variety and growing conditions.

While their beauty is undeniable, the garnishes serve a purpose beyond aesthetics. They play a crucial role in enhancing the dish, contributing elements of both mustard and radish to the final flavor profile.

Scallop Lettuce Wraps, Truffle Sauce

About Maine Day-Boat Scallops

They are harvested by fishermen that go to work in the icy waters then return to port that same day.

Since the fishing trip is short, day-boat scallops do not need to sit on melting ice like longer expeditions, and therefore do not absorb water over the course of the trip.

The taste is pure and natural, as the scallops are not bloated with water after harvest. These scallops are treated with the utmost care, and never soaked in a solution of sodium tripolyphosphate which is commercially used as a preservative but unfortunately degrades the quality of the scallop. Day-boat scallops are always more expensive but worth every penny in taste and texture.

Note: Our fishermen tell us to NEVER let scallops touch fresh water as they soak it up like sponges!

Scallop Lettuce Wraps, Truffle Sauce Recipe

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Michael Mina Las Vegas and The Black Cod

Michael Mina Bellagio Las Vegas

Michael Mina Restaurant
Bellagio, Las Vegas
and
The Black Cod with Black Truffle Dashi

Nestled within the luxurious Bellagio resort in Las Vegas, the Michael Mina restaurant offers an exquisite dining experience that reflects the Chef’s commitment to culinary innovation and top-notch service. Boasting an upscale atmosphere, the restaurant’s interior design is chic and contemporary, creating a stylish backdrop for a most memorable meal.

Chef Mina is renowned for his modern take on American cuisine. He often combines classic flavors with a fresh perspective, resulting in dishes that are both sophisticated and approachable.

Michael Mina Las Vegas and The Black Cod

The Miso Black Cod with Aromatique Vegetables and Black Truffle Dashi is a superb dish in true Michael Mina style, an elegant presentation with dashi poured at the table.

Black cod is glazed with a miso-based marinade.  The fish has a delicate, buttery texture and rich umami flavor. It is broiled to perfection and the result is a beautifully caramelized exterior with a slightly crispy texture and a lusciously moist and flaky interior. The sweet and savory miso glaze not only enhances the natural sweetness of the black cod but also imparts a unique depth of flavor to the dish.

Black Cod, Black Truffle Dashi

Black truffle dashi adds a layer of sophistication, a heady aroma, and a sumptuous touch. The dish showcases the culinary artistry of balancing flavors and textures while highlighting the natural qualities of the black cod.

Michael Mina Restaurant and My Black Cod Recipe

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Holiday Fare: Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with a Champagne Truffle Cream

Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with a Champagne Truffle Cream

Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with a Champagne Truffle Cream
Wilted Butter Lettuce and Generous Shaving of Pink-Veined Italian White Truffle

ITALIAN WHITE TRUFFLE

White truffles are very perishable and very delicate with an intense perfume reminiscent of earth, garlic, shallot and grana cheese. This gem arrived just a few days before our holiday party from my friends at Gourmet Attitude in NYC.

I wrapped the truffle in a paper towel and refrigerated it, in a large glass jar with fresh eggs. My house guests were treated to a special breakfast the morning after our party – poached eggs intensely flavored with truffle! The musky aromas penetrate through the egg shells, and after a simple 3 minute poaching… et voilà heavenly truffle eggs! The tip I learned from the truffle experts at Gourmet Attitude – to eschew standard wisdom and never store truffles in rice as it will dry them out. Store them with fresh eggs and extend the party into the next day.

Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with a Champagne Truffle Cream was the first course in our 5-course holiday dinner earlier this week. Champagne/Truffles/Scallops – a fantastic way to begin an elegant holiday feast.

Holiday Table

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A Farmers Market Dinner Featuring Salmon & Truffle Cream

farmers market dinner

Pan-Roasted King Salmon with White Truffle Cream
Farmers Market Wild Arugula, Heirloom Baby Cherry Tomatoes, Avocado
Pine Nuts, French Lentils, Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

Inspired by a trip to the Farmers Market, fresh king salmon was pan-roasted and served over organic French lentils seasoned with just a kiss of my Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette along with wild arugula, irresistible baby cherry tomatoes, lightly toasted pine nuts, and avocado.

The sauce is made with La Tartufata blended with creme fraiche which added a velvety nuance to the dish. A preserved truffle product from Gourmet Attitude, La Tartufata is an earthy intense white truffle cream. This dinner was a delightful marriage of earth, garden, and sea. It’s the third in a series of three meals, each featuring one of the preserved truffle goodies in the “Trio Boutique.” We especially liked dipping the little heirloom tomatoes in the truffle cream sauce…

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A Sweet & Savory Dinner Featuring Truffle Honey

cooking with truffle honey, bacon wrapped pork loin

A Sweet & Savory Dinner ~ Featuring Truffle Honey

Pan-Seared & Roasted Pork Loin Wrapped in Bacon
Demilune of Baked Butternut Squash & Apple with Truffle Honey & Rosemary
Sauteed Purple Cabbage with Truffle Honey, Balsamic Vinegar, Caraway Seeds

My generous friends at Gourmet Attitude in NYC, purveyors of fresh truffles and fine truffle products, sent a gift box called the “Trio Boutique” containing three jars of fancy truffle products ~ truffle honey, truffle carpaccio, and white truffle cream. Merci and Grazie! We thought it would be fun to cook three separate dinners, each featuring one of these preserved truffle goodies.

For the first truffle dinner, lean and mild pork loin was enhanced with thick smoky bacon. Nutty butternut squash was baked with gala apple and laced with truffle honey, rosemary and butter. Then for contrast, purple cabbage was sauteed with onion and butter, flavored with balsamic vinegar and toasted caraway seeds, finished with truffle honey. This rather common combination of pork, apples, and cabbage was elevated by the truffle honey and the pretty demilune squash presentation with a rosette of colorful cabbage. It’s a meal that exemplifies uncomplicated effortless elegance.

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