Scallops with White Wine Beurre Blanc & Lemon Orzo

Scallops with White Wine Beurre Blanc & Lemon Orzo

Serves 4-6, and can be easily scaled up or down

For the beurre blanc:
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cubed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the orzo salad:
1/2 pound dried orzo pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lemon, zest and juice
2 tablespoons chopped chives

For the scallops:
Sea scallops, preferably dry-packed, 4-5 per person
Wondra flour for dusting (optional), See Notes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the beurre blanc, bring the wine, wine vinegar, and shallots to a boil in a medium stainless steel saucepan. Cook the mixture until reduced to a very thick glaze, about 8 - 12 minutes depending on the size of the pan. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the solids, and return the liquid to the saucepan.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream. Vigorously whisk in the butter, cube by cube, not adding another piece until the last is almost fully melted. If the butter stops incorporating, return the pan to low heat and continue adding the remaining cubes. The sauce should be thick, creamy, and glossy. (If not, whisk in a few more cubes of butter if desired.) Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Hold on lowest heat, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve.

While the beurre blanc is reducing, cook the orzo according to package directions. Drain well. Toss with the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and the chives. Season with salt and pepper, and adjust other oil and lemon to taste.

For the scallops, heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. While the pan is heating, pat the scallops dry and dust the tops with Wondra, kosher salt, and pepper. (Be generous, as you will loose 40% of the seasoning to the pan.)

Add a glug of canola or vegetable oil to the pan. Once it is shimmery and hot, add the scallops, salted side down, around the outside of pan in a clockwise direction starting at 12:00. (This allows you to know which scallop to flip first and continue turning in the same clockwise direction.) Once they are in the pan, dust tops now facing up with Wondra, salt, and pepper.

Allow the scallops to sear, undisturbed, for a minute or so. When you start to see a golden brown crust beginning to rise up the side of one, it is ready to flip. (If you cannot visibly see a crust, or if you have to lift the scallop to peek at the bottom, it isnot ready to flip.) Once the scallops are flipped, continue cooking for about another minute or so, until they are firm but still a tad uncooked in the center. (They will finish cooking with the residual heat.) Transfer the scallops to a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up any cooking juices.

Serve the scallops atop the lemony orzo with a generous drizzle of beurre blanc (lots of extra on the side!)

Recipe Notes

• For the beurre blanc, the addition of the milk solids from the cream act as a safety measure to prevent the sauce from separating. However if it does break, just remove the pan from the heat, add a splash of cold water, and beat with a whisk to bind together again.

• Wondra flour is an "instant" flour that helps form a perfect golden brown crust on scallops (and all pan seared food for that matter) without the heaviness of regular flour.

• My favorite non-stick skillet is this Scanpan, found on Amazon.