The story of this year's Kessler Cassoulet Dinner is posted on the WLDG, and since there was some interest in the Scallops in Tangerine Sauce which was the first course, I asked BettyLu to make it available.
Little did I know how complex this sauce was, until I read BL's email. Must've taken her all day just to write it out in email.
But my,my, it sure was good to eat.
Here's BL's recipe:
Scallops in Tangerine Sauce, adapted from Paula Wolfert in The Cooking of South-West France
Scallops - I purchase 1 scallop per person of the 8-10 size of the dry packed scallops, because the rest of the meal is so much that 2 or 3 would be too much.
(I also make 2x the amount of sauce that PW recommends, and serve bread to soak up the sauce) - the recipe reflects the doubling of the sauce.)
3 Tbls fruity olive oil
1 Tbl coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbls coarsely chopped fresh celery leaves
2 pinches crumbled fresh thyme leaves
salt and freshly ground white pepper
Sauce
2/3 c. tangerine reduction
1/2 c fish glaze
1/4 c demi-Glace
1c. heavy cream, at least 35 %
fresh lemon juice
1. Rinse scallops and pat dry and toss with olive oil, parsley, celery leaves and thyme, Season with salt and pepper. Let marinate 2-3 hrs.
2. In a noncorrodible deep saucepan. bring tangerine reduction to a boil.
3. Add the Fish glaze and Demi-Glace. bring to a boil; add the cream and boil vigorously without stirring approx 10-12 min. Large bubbles will appear on the surface as the sauce begins to bind. From time to time, test by stirring with a wooden spoon. You should just be able to glimpse the bottom of the saucepan for an instant - this may take another 20-30 min. If the sauce is too sweet, adjust with a few drops of lemon juice and pepper. If the sauce turns oily, you have reduced it too much; in this case add a tablespoon of water to the sauce, and it will smooth out. Sauce can be held over warm water and gently reheated just before serving.
4. 15 min or so, heat a frying pan - or 2 large enough to hold all the scallops at once, and saute on both sides.
5. Meanwhile - heat plates...place 1 scallop on each heated plate, and pour sauce over the scallops. Serve hot.
If the sauce is too strong-tasting or too thin, swirl in butter, in bits, off the heat.
Here's the recipes for the reductions......I know it's a pain, but I feel that there are so many subtle nuances going on in the tangerine sauce, and the reductions are the reason.
Tangerine Reduction
1.16 heavy tangerines or clementines, enough to make 3 cups strained juice.
2. boil down the juice to 2/3 cup.
3. this reduction can be frozen
4. use in sauce recipe.
Fish Fumet
6 lbs fish bones, heads, and tails, with lungs removed
1 leek, halved and cut into 1 in pieces and rinsed
1 rib celery, cut into 1 in pieces
6 cloves garlic,halved, but unpeeled
5 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
pinch of crumbled thyme leaves
1/2 Tbls lightly crushed black peppercorns
1 med carrot, sliced
1 sm onion, sliced
1 1/2 cups good white wine
1. With a knife, cut the fish trimmings to remove any traces of blood, liver, intestines and eggs.
2, Wash trimmings under cold running water until the water runs clear. Place them with 6 qts of water in a stockpot or deep kettle, preferably enameled or stainless steel (aluminun tends to discolor stock but doesn't affect it otherwise). Bring to a boil and skim carefully 2 -3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, lower heat, and simmer 25 min, skimming when needed.
3. Strain the stock. Reduce to 2 cups glaze. Can be frozen. You will need 1/2 cup for the tang, sauce.
Demi Glace (all purpose reduced meat and poultry sauce base)
8-10 lbs veal bones
2-3 lbs chicken carcasses, plus 1 heart and 1 gizzard
3 Tbls poultry fat or butter
2 med carrots, chopped
2 med onions, chopped
1 leek, split and sliced (white and green parts separated)
1 small celery rib, sliced
5-6 sprigs celery
1 bay leaf
1 onion, halved
1 head garlic, halved and unpeeled
2 lg tomatoes, halved, with skin and seeds
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1. Crack veal and chix bones with a cleaver into small pieces. Place them in a deep pot, cover with warm water and quickly bring to a boil. Boil hard 3 min. Drain, rinse and return to pot
2. Cover bones with 6 qts of cold water Slowly bring to a boil over med heat: skim and simmer 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, in a wide skillet, heat the fat or butter, add carrots and chopped onions. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 min or until moist beads appear on surface of veggies. Remove cover; add white parts of leeks and celery. Slowly brown all the veggies, stirring, about 15 min. Caramelize the cut sides of the onion by placing them close to burner flames, or under a broiler and allowing surfaces to blacken.
4. When bones have simmered 1 hr and liquid is clear, add the browned veggies, caramelized onion, leek greens, and remaining ingredients. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer slowly at least 4 hours, skimming from time to time. Do not stir.
5. Strain through colander into deep bowl, discarding solids. Line a sieve with cheesecloth, and set over another deep bowl. Ladle the stock through.
5. Chill, degrease carefully, and return to a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil. Set saucepan half over heat. Cook at a slow boil, skimming, 1 hr, or until reduced to 2 1/2 cups. (Demi Glace will just lightly coat a spoon.)
6. Freeze 1/4 cup for Tang sauce. freeze rest of sauce for your other use.
Comment: Because I make this for 3 different groups, I make 3x the tang recipe sauce above at the same time and put it into 3 separate containers and freeze, The same with the other reductions. Any extra is now in the freezer awaiting another dish.