A Scottish scallop pie.
Scotland is renowned for its scallops and they deserve this national treatment, unaccountably labeled a stew by Johanna Mathie in Scottish Fish Recipes.
- butter for greasing
- 3 oz white wine
- ½ cup water
- 12 sea scallops, each cut into four discs
- salt and pepper
- 12 sea scallops, each cut into four discs
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon flour (preferably Wondra)
- about ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
- about ½ cup breadcrumbs
- about ½ cup sharp Cheddar or other hard British cheese
- Grease an ovenproof dish.
- Bring the wine, water salt and pepper to a boil and cook the scallops until they barely lose their opacity, then remove them from the liquor with alacrity. Keep the liquor.
- Melt the butter in a clean skillet over medium heat, whisk in the flour to form a paste, drizzle the scallop liquor into the roux, whisking until everything blends.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer for a few minutes to thicken.
- Turn off the heat and and the cream followed by the blanched scallops.
- Pour the filling into the greased dish, toss the breadcrumbs with the cheese and blast the pie under the broiler until the topping turns gold and melts; it will only take a few minutes.