Tahoe recipe: The Hulk’s famous scallops & red curry cream sauce

TAHOE-TRUCKEE, Calif. — I know, weird name for a sauce. It is hard to imagine an un-jolly green giant like The Hulk in the kitchen, whisk in hand, spices at the ready, whipping up anything light and creamy.

You want a car ripped in two? The Hulk’s your man. But a masterpiece of a scallop dish? Yes, very hard to fathom, but I have experienced it, up close and personal. Over the Halloween weekend, I went to visit my brother and his family in Colorado.

These folks go all out on holidays and this Halloween was no exception. The costume theme was The Avengers and my brother was The Hulk. Moi? I was delegated the Black Widow, which I take umbrage with because I haven’t eaten the head off a mate in years.

Anyway, as I was saying, I have gotten used to seeing my athletic, manly brother in the kitchen hovering over an extremely complicated Asian or French creation. I can handle it. But seeing him wearing his Hulk costume (minus the mask) and dicing up a scallop had me a little concerned.

The dinner presented some 15 minutes later reassured me all was well in his household. This scallop dish is creamy, spicy and elegant and can be served as an entrée or you could make a scallop platter to serve as appetizers (to really good friends or people you want to be your friends) over the holidays.

Even Landon, the five-year-old Captain America, put down his shield long enough to eat a couple. Try it. You’ll like — make that love — it.

Ingredients for sauce:

1 medium scallop, minced

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1 rounded tbls. minced shallots

4 tbls, butter, cut into cubes

1/2 to 1 tbls (depending on your spice level preference) red curry paste (I like May Ploy)

dash white pepper

1/2 pint heavy cream

1 whisk

Preparation:

Melt one tablespoon of your butter over medium heat. Add minced scallop, garlic, shallots and sauté and whisk until they begin to give off a nice aroma. Whisk in the remaining three tablespoons of butter. Add pepper and then the cream, whisking in 1/4 cup of the cream at a time. Whisk whisk whisk. Now whisk in the red curry paste and whisk until it is dissolved and sauce is completely blended. Simmer a little bit over medium heat until just barely bubbling then remove from heat and prepare your seared scallops.

Seared scallops ingredients:

12 medium scallops, patted dry

1 tbls. olive oil

1 tbls butter

Preparation:

Melt butter and olive oil over high heat. Add scallops and sear two minutes on each side. Remove to platter and pour on your red curry scallop cream sauce.

Simone Grandmain is an internationally published travel and food writer who currently calls Truckee-Tahoe home. She welcomes your recipes, kitchen “must-haves” and food news at simonegrandmain@gmail.com.