Seared Scallops With Roasted Cauliflower, Squash Sauce, And Crisp Kale

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 lb scallops

1 butternut squash

1 head of cauliflower

3 kale leaves

1 Tbsp honey

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb butter, cut into cubes

1 small bunch of thyme

1 bay leaf

1/2 white onion (chopped)

Cheese cloth & butcher’s twine

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat your oven to 375 degrees, then carefully cut the florets from the head of cauliflower. Toss them with one tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast them in the oven for 45 minutes.

Cut off the base of the squash, scoop out the guts and seeds. Peel it, chop it up, and cook it in a small pot with three cups of water, the onion, and the herbs wrapped up in the cheese cloth and tied tightly.

Allow that to cook over medium high heat for 30 minutes or so, until the squash is really soft. Remove the spine from the kale leaves and cut them into thin strips. Toss them in one tablespoon of olive oil, making sure to rub the oil into the kale. Spread them out over a sheet tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt when they come out of the oven.

When the squash is soft, remove the herb bouquet and the onion, reserving only the squash itself and the flavorful cooking liquid. Blend the squash and cooking liquid on high and add your honey. Strain the resulting sauce through a fine strainer, into a small sauce pot, and allow the sauce to reduce over a medium heat until you are left with about one cup of actual liquid (this needs to be watched carefully).

When the sauce is ready, take it off the heat and whisk in the butter cubes, slowly adding them one or two at a time until you have reached a sauce consistency that coats the back of a spoon (you likely will not use all the butter).

Now that the sauce and kale are ready, and the cauliflower is close to being done, sear the scallops. Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the last tablespoon of olive oil and a cube or two of butter into the pan with the scallops. Distribute them over the surface of the pan evenly so that they sear nicely. Allow them to cook on one side for one minute then give them a good shake in the pan to move them around a bit. Cook them for just one more minute and they should be done.

To serve, ladle some of the sauce on the plate first, followed by the cauliflower and scallops. Top the dish off with the crispy kale and enjoy.