This is a dish from ‘back in the day’ when it was hugely popular at all French restaurants. I still make it as it is truly delicious, great with a glass of dry white wine and lots of crunchy French bread. We used to serve this as a dinner party appetizer, but with a slightly more generous portion, it’s great for brunch or lunch.
Tip : Swiss Gruyere is the best cheese to use for this recipe, domestic gruyere does not seem to have the same fat content so the cheese will not melt or brown as the Swiss type,
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb bay scallops
- 3/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tspn thyme
- 1/2 tspn white pepper
- 1 large shallot finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tspn hot chili sauce
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 cups gruyere cheese grated
- 1/3 medium lemon juice
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients before starting recipe
Cheese
- Cut rind off cheese before grating
- Grate gruyere cheese and set aside
Scallops
- Finely dice shallots and add to a sauce pan with wine, water, thyme, white pepper, salt and bay scallops
- Cover mixture with parchment paper, press down so that the paper touches the scallops/wine mixture
- Bring to a gentle simmer over medium high heat, and cook for 2-3 minutes, remove parchment
- Strain liquid from scallops and reserve
Sauce
- Melt butter over medium high heat, add flour and stir for 2-3 minutes until the flour becomes bubbly but has not started to color
- Add milk and the reserved liquid stirring constantly with a wire whisk and stir until the sauce thickens.
- Add hot chili sauce and adjust with lemon juice to taste.
Final Step
- Combine scallops and shallots with the sauce and remove from heat.
- Spoon scallops into scallop shells or scallop shell shaped ramekin and top with Gruyere cheese and place under the broiler and grill until the cheese melts, becomes bubbly and the edges begin to brown
Serving
- This recipe can be served as an appetizer with some crusty French bread, or may be served as a main meal with a side salad and bread
