When trying to come up with some ideas to cook along with this book, I would jot down thoughts as I read the personal anecdotes. Velouté came up a couple of times within the text. Also, I figured I had to do at least one “fancy” entry as Kwame is all about that haute cuisine. That happens when you work at places like Per Se and Eleven Madison Park and feature on shows like Top Chef. Kwame will be coming back to Top Chef as a guest judge when the next season kicks off on April 1.
But then, there it was, a recipe for corn velouté at the end of one of his chapters. I battled with myself, because like the invisible pie, I wanted to create and accomplish two of my own dishes inspired by the book, and provide two others of his own offering. Eventually, I decided to do a velouté, and since it is not summer, I could create my own, as opposed to going with corn. I’m glad I listened to myself because this delicious velouté will knock your socks off.
What is a velouté? How do you even say “velouté”? Veh-lou-tay is how it’s pronounced and it’s basically a purée that is combined with some form of dairy. There is debate over whether or not a velouté must have a blonde roux as one of its components, or if the dairy addition is sufficient enough. I didn’t go with the roux component (Kwame didn't in his recipe either - and I just realized, I didn't even use real dairy, rather coconut milk...can you just say anything is a velouté and it becomes true just by its velvety texture?) and I don’t know that anyone would notice it was missing...or the dairy; I'm serious. I added some nice spiced components to bump up the depth of flavor to go along with the sautéed carrots. Finally, I topped the velouté with a lovely seared scallop and garnished it with some lime for a bright contrast against the rich buttery shellfish.
Spiced Carrot Velouté
Be sure to stir your coconut milk well before measuring. The milk tends to seize as it sits on the grocery shelves.
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and diced
1.25 lbs carrots, ¼-inch sliced
1/2 tsp garam masala
4 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Heat a tablespoon of evoo in a dutch oven over medium-high heat and sauté the shallots, garlic and ginger for a few minutes with a pinch of salt.
Add another tablespoon of evoo to the pot along with the carrots, garam masala, a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground black pepper and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes.
When the carrots have softened, use a stick blender to purée the pot contents. Otherwise, carefully transfer the ingredients to a blender and purée until smooth. Transfer the purée back to the pot and stir in the coconut milk until fully incorporated.
Stir in the lemon juice and cardamom powder and adjust for any seasoning needs with salt or pepper.
Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm while you prepare the scallops.
Scallops
Vegetable oil
Sea scallops
Sea salt
Black Pepper
Butter
Lime zest
Pour just enough oil into a cast-iron skillet (or heavy bottomed stainless steel pan) to cover the entire cooking surface and place over high heat until the oil ripples.
Meanwhile, remove the extra tendon from and dry your scallops. Season them with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
When the oil is rippling, place 4 scallops into the pan and lightly press them onto the cooking surface. Season the exposed side of the scallop with more salt and pepper.
After 1 minute, place about 2 tbsp of butter into the pan so it melts into the cooking scallops.
After 2 minutes of cooking, flip your scallops and begin basting the tops of the scallops occasionally with the melted butter.
After 2 more minutes of cooking (4 minutes in total) remove them from the pan and place on some paper towels to drain the excess butter/oil. Repeat with any remaining scallops.
Lightly season with some salt and lime zest. Serve atop the carrot velouté.
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Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.