Saturday, October 3, 2009

Raisins bother me unless...

Pecan Dusted Seared Scallop, Sultana Butter, Baby Arugula Salad


Something to always consider; never generalize a food item by stating you hate it.

Guaranteed there is a process that could be done to manipulate that ingredient and paired with other items that would make your saliva-glands go into over-drive.
Raisins are my example.

On their own I cannot appreciate them, kinda hard, too chewy, sticks to the molars... I find they have a background residual taste of somebodies stale-aired closet. If I am going to gorge on dried fruit, hand me Cherries, Pears, or the ever-never fail Apricots.
This dish works for me. I do not like raisins based primarily on their texture, so I simply changed it. Paired with the nuttiness of the pecan, the butter I use to sear the scallop in, and the peppery arugula, the whole dish rounded out nicely.

Sultana Butter;

Much like the process of making apple or pear butter, simply simmer the raisins in water equal to it's volume (1:1 Ratio),with your choice of aromatics, -I don't use any, they define themselves perfectly, until all the water evaporates. From there, puree to death, then strain through a medium sized china cap. Reserve in the fridge, it will last a long time.
-For this recipe I was prepared to add either sugar or lemon juice to round off the flavour. To my pleasant surprise neither were required. Very rare, and cool to note.

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