Jason loves scallops. Like, loves. Similar to my love for all things chocolate + peanut butter. But times 14. I waited quietly while he was flipping through our shiny new copy of Big Bowl of Love, waiting on him to get to the scallops recipe I had seen earlier. Big juicy scallops, caramelized, and served with a lemony wine sauce. These were our kind of scallops.

I almost never do cookbook reviews unless I know it’s something I can get really excited about. And we were really excited about this one. The book was photographed by a couple of our favorite food bloggers and photographers, Todd and Diane of White on Rice Couple. We knew if they were on the project, it was going to be a good one!

I think Jason summed it up best with, “I bet we end up making almost all of these.” Big Bowl of Love is a celebration of good food and the people for whom we cook. Because for many people, cooking isn’t just about the food. It’s about the friends who are coming over for girls’ night out, the grandparents coming to play with the baby, or the sister who lives too far away to see more than a couple of times a year.

Big Bowl of Love is full of our kind of food – not just mine, not just his – ours. Appetizers that vary from the quick and accessible to the kind you bust out when your girlfriends are coming over. Hearty, comfort foods for cooler weather and lighter fare perfect for grilling seasons. And then there is my favorite section: desserts 🙂

If you like scallops, you’ll really like this recipe. The sweetness from the scallops balance nicely with the acidity from the wine and lemon. For the sugar, I sprinkled an unmeasured amount on a plate (but it was closer to 1/4 cup). It seemed to be plenty – just a tip if you’re like me and always on the verge of running out of sugar!

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Caramelized Scallops with White Wine

Sweet, caramelized scallops topped with a lemony pan sauce.

Ingredients

• 12 large scallops
• Pinch of kosher salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 4 Tbsp clarified butter
• 3-4 Tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 lemon, zested and squeezed
• 1 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• 8 chives, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat butter on medium high.
2. Pat scallops dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Spread sugar on a plate and dip one side of each scallop into the sugar before placing it into the saute pan.
3. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until the scallops are nicely seared. Flip and cook for another two minutes. Add wine and lemon juice and reduce the sauce by half.
4. Serve scallops topped with pan sauce, lemon zest, parsley, and chives.

Notes

Yields: 3 servings

Adapted from Big Bowl of Love

Estimated time: 25 minutes

Reprinted from Cristina Ferrare’s Big Bowl of Love © 2011 by Cristina Ferrare. Permission granted from Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc