Coquilles St.-jacques

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup coarse fresh breadcrumb, from a baguette
• 1/4 cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (1/2 oz)
• 1 1/4 cups dry white
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 small onion, sliced
• 1/2 turkish bay leaves or 1/4 california bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 lb sea scallops, tough muscle removed from side of each if necessary and scallops cut into 3/4 inch pieces
• 1/2 lb small mushroom, halved lengthwise,then thinly sliced lengthwise
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 8 cups kosher salt, to stabilize scallop shells (if using)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°f.
• 2 toast bread crumbs on a baking sheet in middle of oven until pale golden, 6 to 8 minutes, then toss with cheese.
• 3 simmer , water, onion, bay leaf, salt, and pepper in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan, uncovered, 5 minutes, then add scallops and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
• 4 transfer scallops to a platter with a slotted spoon to cool, returning any onions to pan, then boil cooking liquid until reduced to about 1 cup, 8 to 10 minutes.
• 5 pour cooking liquid through a sieve into a bowl.
• 6 cook mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated, about 5 minutes.
• 7 season with salt and pepper.
• 8 whisk together cream and yolk in a heatproof bowl.
• 9 melt 2 tablespoons butter in cleaned 2 1/2- to 3-quart saucepan over moderately low heat, then add flour and cook roux, whisking, 2 minutes.
• 10 remove pan from heat and add reduced cooking liquid in a stream, whisking constantly.
• 11 return pan to heat and simmer, whisking, 1 minute.
• 12 pour sauce in a slow stream into cream mixture, whisking constantly, then pour sauce back into pan and simmer, whisking, 1 minute.
• 13 remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
• 14 preheat broiler.
• 15 stir scallops and mushrooms into sauce, then divide among scallop shells or ramekins and sprinkle with bread crumb mixture.
• 16 if using shells, spread kosher salt evenly in a large shallow baking pan, then nestle shells in salt.
• 17 dot scallops with remaining 2 tablespoons butter, then broil about 4 inches from heat until golden, about 2 minutes.
• 18 sprinkle with parsley.
• 19 cooks' note: scallop mixture can be made (but not spooned into shells or ramekins) 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• 20 reheat in a saucepan over moderate heat before proceeding.