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Chefs’ Choir: Chef Joe Bachman’s Seared Scallops with Butternut Risotto

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At Great Performances, food is woven into every moment from a quick coffee break to a grand celebratory feast. We bring this belief to life through delicious food, warm hospitality, and boundless culinary creativity. At the heart of it all is our Chefs’ Choir℠ ensemble – a unique and diverse group of extraordinary chefs and cooks who power our catering, café, and restaurant services. With their diverse talents, perspectives, and culinary expertise, they shape the unforgettable menus that define our events, from corporate gatherings and nonprofit galas to weddings and milestone celebrations; and that feed our diners at our cafés and restaurants.

Chef Joe Bachman’s Seared Scallops with Butternut Risotto

About the Menu

Seared Scallops with Risotto, Roasted Butternut Squash. It’s delicious and if you par cook the risotto the night before then it will be super quick to make on Valentine’s Day. For an easy salad, I would pick up an arugula salad from the market paired with a balsamic vinaigrette. For dessert, I think something with dark chocolate is a good pairing. Brownie ala Mode is always a hit and easy.

Seared Scallops with Butternut Risotto & Ricotta Salata

 
Ingredients
    • 1# sea scallops
    • 3 C arborio rice
    • 1/4 small spanish onion, diced
    • 1 clove garlic chopped
    • 1/2 C white wine
    • 3 qt vegetable broth (can use chicken stock too, or even water if neither is on hand)
    • 1 butternut squash (the bulb will be roasted and pureed and mixed in with the risotto. The upper part will be small diced and roasted)
    • 2 T pumpkin seeds, toasted
    • 1.5 C ricotta Salata cheese (grated)
    • 1 small bunch of chives (shaved)
    • 2 T mascarpone
    • 3 T butter
    • 6 sprigs thyme
    • 1 lemon
Instructions
  1. Bring Veg stock to a simmer in a pot.
  2. Clean the scallops. Pull the small connector muscle off, and rinse if needed to get any sand off then pat dry with paper towel and lay out on a sheet tray.
  3. Start the risotto. Sweat out the onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent, then add the arborio and toast for 1-2 minutes. Add white wine, let cook 2 min, then add your stock just enough to cover the rice and simmer. Ladle more stock in as needed.
  4. Cook the risotto to about 80 percent doneness. Should still have a little bite to it, then pull it out and lay it out flat on a plate or sheet tray, making sure to spread it out as thin as possible so it cools quickly, then place in refrigerator. This can be done up to 3 days in advance.
  5. Next take your butternut squash, separate the top and peel then small dice. Roast in the oven with olive oil, salt, and pepper until cooked and nice caramelization, approximately 18 min at 350 degrees. Take the bottom bulb of the butternut and split in half, scoop out the seeds, and set on sheet tray flesh side down, season with salt and pepper and roast at 350 until flesh is soft enough to scoop and puree. Remove from oven, let cool, scrape out flesh with a spoon and set aside for later. Both of these steps can also be done the day before.
  6. To start the risotto the day of, take out the risotto, bring stock back to a boil, and start rehydrating it on medium low heat. Once the risotto is 95 percent cooked, fold in the mascarpone, pureed butternut, butter, and cheese and set aside.
  7. Time to cook the scallops. Pat both sides dry with a paper towel. Season with salt. Get a sauté pan hot, then place the scallops in the pan. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan or you wont get color. Depending on size of scallops sear both sides about 2 minutes, then add a knob of butter and sprig of thyme to the pan and baste until the butter is browned, hit with a squeeze of lemon j juice, then set aside the scallops.
  8. To assemble the dish, spoon the risotto out in the center of the plate. Then place the scallops on top of the risotto. Then garnish with the toasted pumpkin seeds, roasted butternut and chives. Last step is to drizzle a spoon full of the brown butter-lemon over the scallops and serve.

Dessert: Brownie ala Mode

 
Ingredients
    • Pre-baked Brownies
    • Ice Cream flavor of your choice
    • Hot Fudge
    • Whipped Cream
    • Maraschino Cherries
Instructions

For the brownie ala mode, to keep it simple, get brownies already baked. Just warm in the oven or a microwave the day of. Top with ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, and a maraschino cherry for the top.

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