I'm a rock star!!

Sometimes I feel like a home cook rock star.  I attempted a recipe by Grant Achatz and it totally worked!  In case you don't know, Grant Achatz is an amazing young chef of Alinea and Next in Chicago.  He loves foams, gelatins, and making combining strange food combinations that somehow work.  His plating is artistic and creative.  He knows how to pair food and wine.  He's simply amazing and only 37 years old.  My parents were lucky enough to eat at Alinea and said it was the best meal of their life.  I will make it there someday...
So, when the magazine, Food and Wine, published a recipe by Achatz I had to make it.  It's called "Scallops with Snow Peas, Cauliflower, and Peanut Panade".  It sounds fancy, it looks fancy, but it was really easy and fun to make.  It has several components, but all are simple.  Furthermore, you can find all of the ingredients in most grocery stores.

The taste was amazing.  It was a strange combo of ingredients such as peanut butter, scallops, curry, and cauliflower, but it worked so well and it was basically a fancy restaurant dish that you can make at home.  I was so proud of myself and will make this again!  Trust me, you will also be a rock star if you serve this at your next dinner party.  Enjoy!

Scallops with Snow Peas, Cauliflower, and Peanut Panade (from Food and Wine and Grant Achatz, 2012)

2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and fresh pepper
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
6 oz. snow peas
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons salted peanuts, minced
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops (do not use bay scallops)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
In a small bowl, stir the curry powder and lime juice into the oil and let stand for at least 15 minutes
Let the spices settle, then pour the oil into another bowl, stopping before you pour the solids
Season with salt and pepper

On a sheet pan, spread the cauliflower out in a single layer and toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil
Roast for 15-18 min. until browned and tender

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the snow peas
Cook for 1 minute until crisp tender
Take the peas out and submerge into a bowl ice water (this is called blanching)
Take out of water, dry, and set aside

In a skillet, toast the breadcrumbs until golden, about 1 minute
Transfer crumbs to a bowl and stir in peanut butter and peanuts until combined
This is the peanut panade

                                                (The scallops sizzling in the pan with panade)

Preheat broiler
Heat 2 tablespoons of the curry oil in a large oven proof skillet until smoking
Pat the scallops dry and season both sides with salt and pepper
Place scallops in the pan, in a single layer, and let cook until well browned and crusty on the bottom (about 1-2 min or so)
Turn scallops and place dollops of the peanut panade on each scallop
Place pan under the broiler until panade is warmed (not melted)
Serve scallops with the cauliflower and snow peas

Rice is an amazing side dish for this light meal
You can heat the snow peas at the end in the same skillet that the scallops were in (take the scallops out and add the snow peas, toss over medium-high heat until just heated through)

I will once again stress how incredibly good this is.  Thanks Grant and keep the wonderful food coming!