Author Notes
For a certain special chef's recent graduation, I created this appetizer as part of our final assignment. Everyone was extremely pleased with the results! —Mariya
Ingredients
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2 tablespoons
olive oil
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1 1/2 cups
red onion, brunoise (very small dice, about 1/8 inch)
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1/2 cup
yellow peppers, brunoise
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1
green chili, minced, seeds and all
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3/4 cup
raisins
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1/4 cup
dried currants
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1 cup
tomato concasse, pealed, seeded, and finely diced
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3/4 cup
white wine
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1/2 bunch
chives, sliced very thin
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1 cup
basil leaves
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2 cups
canola oil
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3
lemons, zested
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16
shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps wiped with a slightly damp cloth
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4 cups
all purpose flour
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4
beaten eggs
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4 cups
breadcrumbs
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7 cups
canola oil for frying
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8
scallops, sliced in half, horizontally
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2 tablespoons
olive oil
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salt
to taste
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pepper
to taste
Directions
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FOR THE RELISH: Heat olive oil in a large saute pan and add red onions; sweat until translucent, about 15 minutes.
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Add orange peppers, chili, raisins, and currants and saute until peppers are soft, about 4-6 minutes.
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Add tomatoes and saute about 5-7 minutes, until all contents are soft through; season well with salt and pepper.
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Add white wine and reduce until it's almost gone; taste and adjust seasoning; mix in the chives and reserve.
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FOR THE LEMON BASIL OIL: In boiling water, blanch the basil and immediately submerge it in an ice bath (bowl with ice and water), to stop the cooking process; remove from water and dry well.
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Heat 2 cups canola oil and add in lemon zest; cook until the oil is infused, about 6-8 minutes (dont let the lemon zest turn brown).
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In a blender, blend the infused oil with the blanched basil; season well (you may need to add a bit of sugar, depending on your preference, as well as a few drops of lemon juice from one of the lemons).
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FOR THE MUSHROOM CAPS: Bread shiitake caps by dipping in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs (shaking off any excess).
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Heat 7 cups canola oil to 380 degrees and fry shiitake caps in batches (until just golden); remove from oil onto a towel lined tray and lightly salt right away; reserve.
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FOR THE SCALLOPS: season the scallops and saute in olive oil until cooked through, about 1 minute per side.
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ASSEMBLE: place one fried mushroom cap on a plate, top with scallop, top with relish, top with a bit of lemon-basil oil.
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Optional: fry some basil leaves (in 350 degrees canola oil, for 15 seconds) and garnish on top of the dish.
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