Shake up your Sunday suppers this fall with a delicious dinner idea courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen.
Ahead of this weekend’s Boston EATS food festival, the culinary masterminds have shared an exciting ATK recipe for seared scallops with squash puree and sage butter from their new cookbook “All Time Best Sunday Suppers.” Bon appetit!
Why this recipe works:
Elegant yet casual, these restaurant-worthy caramelized scallops served alongside a comforting, homey squash puree will make your Sunday supper guests feel spoiled. To keep your time in the kitchen to a minimum, you can make the squash puree in advance and simply cook the scallops and make the sauce just before serving. To make the squash puree and ensure that it would be silky smooth, we simply microwaved the squash and pureed it in a food processor with a little half-and-half, butter, and seasoning. We pan-seared the scallops and then made a quick shallot-sage browned butter sauce in the same pan. We recommend buying “dry” scallops, which don’t have chemical additives and taste better than “wet.” Dry scallops will look ivory or pinkish; wet scallops are bright white.
Serves: 4
Total time: 45 minutes
- 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces (5 cups)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon half-and-half
- Salt and pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1½ pounds large sea scallops, tendons removed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage plus 8 leaves
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1. Place squash in bowl, cover, and microwave until tender, 8 to 12 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving. Drain, then transfer to food processor. Add 1 tablespoon butter, half-and-half, ½ teaspoon salt, and cayenne and process until smooth, about 20 seconds. Return to bowl and cover to keep warm.
2. Pat scallops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of scallops and cook, without moving, until well browned, 1½ to 2 minutes. Flip scallops and cook until sides are firm and centers are opaque, 30 to 90 seconds. Transfer to plate and tent with aluminum foil. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining scallops. Transfer to plate with first batch.
3. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in now-empty skillet over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling skillet constantly, until butter is starting to brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 2 minutes. Add shallot, minced sage, and sage leaves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over scallops and serve with butternut squash.
