Curried Scallops with Sliced Almonds

Last week was full of culinary adventures. An entire day was dedicated to making eggs... poached, en cocotte, french-style omelettes and so on. For those of us who have never made eggs for more than a couple people before, this was quite the experience. Picture a compost bin complete with over 100 egg shells and at least a dozen omelettes in need of improvement... as well as a pungeant egg smell making its way around the class for over six hours. I will most likely be posting some of these recipes soon, that is when I am back from my egg overdose!

For now, I will share a new recipe I put together a couple days ago. On a recent escapade to little India with Oliver, I picked up some mild curry powder. I soon put it to good use with the scallops I had bought that morning.



Recipe (for two)
6 scallops
1/2 cup of mild curry powder
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 cup of sliced almonds
1/4 cup of heavy cream
A handful of parsley finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper. Lay out the curry powder on a flat surface and dip the scallops in the powder making sure all sides are covered. Tap to remove the excess (there should only be a very thin layer of powder on each scallop). Heat a pan on medium heat and add the oil and garlic stirring to make sure the garlic does not brown. Once the oil is hot, add the scallops. Do not move the scallops for about 2-3 minutes to allow them to brown. Turn them and brown the other side. Remove from the pan, and set aside on a plate. Cover with a piece of aluminum foil to keep warm.

Put the cream in the pan on medium heat, season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder and stir. Cook gently for about 10 minutes. Add the parsley. In a separate pan, toast the almonds, stirring often to prevent from burning.

Place the scallops in the center of your serving dish, coat with the cream reduction and top with the almonds. Enjoy!