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My kittens ! 

 I found the sun, it was hidden right above la Croisette, I’m coming back from 48 intense hours in Cannes, I have to debrief it with you next week! You have no idea how this sunny unexpected parenthesis surprised and benefited me. I’m reassured that it didn’t disappeared from the universe, and to my great surprise, it is above Paris today! Weather forecast aside, I hope you’re doing great, I am running a little late on my Theme week but you will be able to enjoy it until sunday then ! And finding an «In the Navy» recipe was not an easy thing but you know, as I always say, restrictions are sometimes great creativity vectors! I will leave you to my little recipe of vanilla raw scallops, super easy to make and that will take your guests’ taste buds away, I’m sure! As for me, my only guest and lover to try this sweet-savory starter didn’t even let me try it... Adding his mouth full, is there any leftovers?

 

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To make a dozen bites you will need: 

  • 6 big scallop, very fresh,
  • 2 lemons and a lime (juice and zest),
  • 1 tablespoon of hazelnuts oil,
  • Half a pack of agar agar,
  • 75 g of flour, 
  • 50 of softened butter, 
  • 25 g of superfine sugar, 
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

 

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 To start with, finely cut the scallops into slices. Let them marinate for 10 minutes with the hazelnuts oil, the juice and zest of a lemon, a pinch of flower of salt and a little white pepper. Meanwhile take a half-sphere silicon mold (mine I use it all the time, for Marie-Antoinette nipples as well, it’s a special chocolate mold). Once the 10 minutes are up, carefully drop the slices of scallop into the different alveolus of the mold, and keep the marinade aside. Put it into a small pan and add the juice of the other lemon and of the lime, and the agar-agar. Stir well and boil the mixture, never stopping to stir. Once the mix is boiled, take it off the fire and fill the holes from the scallops into the mold. Save in the fridge for about 1h30 until it becomes a jelly. 

 

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In the meantime, get to the vanilla biscuits. In a mixing bowl, mix the softened butter, the flour, the sugar and the vanilla extract, then knead the dough, if it becomes too sticky you can add some flour, and put some cellophane tape on before leaving it in the fridge for 15 minutes. Once your dough is harder and colder, on a floured surface roll it out until you have 1 cm. Then with a cookie cutter the same diameter as your mold alveolus, cut your biscuits. Put them on a baking tray (with baking paper on) and cook for 20 to 25 minutes at 150°C. 

Let them completely cool down before handling them then lay your bites by removing from the mold your scallops onto the biscuits. Dust with flower of salt and a hint of lemon zest... Enjoy ! 

 

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22 mai, 2013