Day Thirty-Three

She Said:

We're both on vacation for a few days, so dinner was a little fancier last night. We did manage to include another recipe from Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman that counts toward our own Julie/Julia Project, but there was more!

We started out with a very yummy cocktail (or two!). This recipe (and the next) come from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics cookbook.

Pomegranate Cosmopolitans

2 cups good vodka, such as Grey Goose or Finlandia (we had Absolut on hand and that's good enough, I think)
1 cup Cointreau (we only had a ½ cup so we also used a ½ cup of Grand Marnier - poor us!)
1 cup cranberry juice cocktail, such as Ocean Spray (interestingly, we only had pure cranberry juice, so that's what we used)
½ cup Pom Wonderful bottled pomegranate juice (yes, we had this and that's what we used)
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 limes)
Thinly sliced limes, for garnish

Combine the vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, and lime juice in a large pitcher. Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice, pour the cocktail mixture in, and shake for a full 30 seconds. Pour into martini glasses, garnish with a slice of lime, and serve immediately.

These were so good. I love the addition of pomegranate juice to the cosmo. Nice sweet difference! The fresh lime juice is key, too. We sat down and relaxed with our first one and then, feeling it a little already, we decided to make dinner. However, we needed room temperature butter, which we didn't have, so I took out a stick and, since it was almost 90℉ outside (and, logically then inside as well since the air conditioner wasn't on), figured it would soften up soon enough. So we had another cocktail! And we were still fine to cook later on.

Here's what we cooked.

Bay Scallop Gratins

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 medium shallot, minced
1 ounce thinly sliced prosciutto di Parma, minced (we actually found this - I was very pleased)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Pernod (we didn't have Pernod, so we used a ½ tablespoon of Sambuca and a ½ tablespoon of water)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons good olive oil
¼ cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
3 tablespoons dry white wine
1 pound fresh bay scallops
Lemon, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425℉. Place 3 (6-inch round) gratin dishes on a sheet pan. (We had JUST bought four gratin dishes at Crate and Barrel that same day - yay!)
To make the topping, place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can also use a hand mixer). With the mixer on low speed, add the garlic, shallot, prosciutto, parsley, lemon juice, Pernod, salt, and pepper and mix until combined. With the mixer still on low, add the olive oil slowly as though making mayonnaise, until combined. Fold the panko in with a rubber spatula and set aside.
Preheat the broiler, if it's separate from your oven.
Place 1 tablespoon of the wine in the bottom of each gratin dish. With a small sharp knife, remove the white muscle and membrane from the side of each scallop and discard. Pat the scallops dry with paper towels and distribute them among the 3 dishes. Spoon the garlic butter evenly over the top of the scallops. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the topping is golden and sizzling and the scallops are barely done. If you want the top crustier, place the dishes under the broiler for 2 minutes, until browned. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of chopped parsley and serve immediately with crusty French bread.

We actually found small French rolls and had two each with this meal. I think you have to have the bread to soak up the sauce. It's quite a sophisticated flavor, in my opinion. Quite delicious, but not something I would want every day. I think my palate is simpler than that. But this was really delicious!

And to give us our veggies, here's what we made on the side from Serving Up the Harvest.

Sauteéd Spinach with Garlic and Pine Nuts

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup pine nuts
1½-2 pounds spinach, tough stems removed and large leaves chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large wok or Dutch oven. Add the garlic and pine nuts and sauté until the garlic begins to smell fragrant and color, about 1 minute.

2. Add the spinach, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Uncover, season with the salt and pepper to taste, stir well, and continue to cook until the liquid evaporates, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve hot.

OK, we purchased our spinach and it's already prewashed so we didn't have to wash it. One of the things that is mentioned in the notes of this recipe is that "the water clinging to the leaves of the freshly washed spinach is all the liquid necessary." That's crucial. We didn't see that note right away and didn't know how this spinach was going to wilt. So once we saw the note, we threw in a little water and all was right with the world.

I really like the spinach prepared this way, but I am a really big fan of garlic and pine nuts, so it really couldn't lose!

Day 33/365:Recipe 23/175