Pan-Seared King Oyster 'Scallops'...Pan-Seared King Oyster 'Scallops' with Sunchoke Silk & Blackberry-Port Reduction

An elegant, Michelin-caliber vegan dish featuring perfectly caramelized king oyster mushroom rounds nestled on a velvety sunchoke purée, drizzled with a rich blackberry-port reduction and finished with a crunchy, smoked pine nut gremolata.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Prepare the Sunchoke Silk: In a small saucepan, combine the chopped sunchokes and oat milk. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover, and cook until sunchokes are fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a high-speed blender with 1 tbsp of vegan butter and the truffle oil. Blend on high until absolutely silky smooth. Season with sea salt to taste and keep warm.

2. 02

   Create the Blackberry-Port Reduction: In a separate small saucepan, combine blackberries, Port wine, maple syrup, and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the liquid reduces by half and lightly coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids to extract all juice. Set aside.

3. 03

   Make the Smoked Pine Nut Gremolata: Finely chop the toasted pine nuts and combine them in a small bowl with the chopped parsley, lemon zest, liquid smoke, and olive oil. Season with a tiny pinch of flaky salt and set aside.

4. 04

   Score the Mushroom 'Scallops': Lightly score a shallow crosshatch pattern on both flat cut-sides of each king oyster mushroom round.

5. 05

   Sear the 'Scallops': Heat a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with a thin film of olive oil. Add the mushroom rounds scored-side down. Sear undisturbed for 3-4 minutes until a deep, golden-brown caramelized crust forms.

6. 06

   Baste: Flip the mushrooms, then add the remaining 2 tbsp of vegan butter, smashed garlic, and thyme sprigs to the pan. Tilt the pan and continuously spoon the foaming melted butter over the mushrooms for another 3 minutes until tender. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

7. 07

   Plate and Serve: Spoon a generous pool of the warm Sunchoke Silk onto the center of each plate. Top with three mushroom 'scallops'. Artfully drizzle the Blackberry-Port Reduction around the plate. Garnish the top of each scallop with a delicate spoonful of the Smoked Pine Nut Gremolata. Serve immediately.