Coquilles Saint-Jacques aux Topinambours...Coquilles Saint-Jacques aux Topinambours et Truffe Noire

Pan-seared jumbo sea scallops served over a velvety sunchoke purée, drizzled with a hazelnut brown butter emulsion, and finished with freshly shaved Périgord black truffle.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Prepare the Sunchoke Purée: In a medium saucepan, simmer the chopped sunchokes in the whole milk with a pinch of salt over medium heat until fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking milk. Transfer sunchokes to a high-speed blender.

2. 02

   Blend the Purée: Add heavy cream, 50g of butter, and a splash of the reserved cooking milk to the blender. Process on high speed until completely smooth and velvety. Season with white pepper and fleur de sel. Pass through a fine-mesh chinois for an ultra-fine texture. Keep warm.

3. 03

   Make the Hazelnut Beurre Noisette: Melt 80g of butter in a small light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Swirl the pan occasionally as the butter foams. Once the foam subsides and brown specks appear, emitting a nutty aroma, immediately remove from heat. Stir in the crushed hazelnuts and lemon juice. Set aside in a warm place.

4. 04

   Prep the Scallops: Thoroughly pat the scallops dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with fleur de sel just before cooking.

5. 05

   Sear the Scallops: Heat grapeseed oil in a cast-iron skillet over high heat until smoking. Carefully place scallops in the pan, leaving space between them. Sear undisturbed for 2 minutes to form a deep golden-brown crust. Flip the scallops, immediately add the remaining 20g of butter, garlic clove, and thyme sprigs to the pan.

6. 06

   Baste and Rest: Tilt the skillet slightly and continuously spoon the foaming melted butter over the scallops for 1 minute. Transfer scallops to a warm plate to rest for 1 minute.

7. 07

   Plate and Serve: Spoon a generous pool of warm sunchoke purée onto the center of four warmed plates. Place three scallops on top of each purée pool. Spoon the hazelnut brown butter around the plate. Using a mandoline or truffle shaver, shave thin slices of fresh black truffle generously over the scallops. Garnish with a final touch of fleur de sel.