ArcaMax

Winter Holiday Party...

We never have our company Christmas party at Christmas. We always do it later. There are so many obligations at the holidays. Things just start to blur and it becomes just "another party I have to go to". I hate hearing people say that about their parties at the holidays. They've been invited. I would hope they'd appreciate the invitation and go with the intention of having a good time. Or don't go.

(Enough of me lecturing on party manners.)

We love to have the party in the middle of winter when people could use a little lift. Our party is this weekend.

It's not a big party. It's dinner for 14.

We'll all get dressed up. Some of the guys are wearing tuxedos. My husband owns one of those cream-colored dinner jackets so he will wear that. If you remember Bruce Willis in Moonlighting you'll know what my husband will look like in his dinner jacket, white shirt, black bow tie and all the rest. One man is in the army and I think he might come in his dress uniform. That's just as fancy as any tux in my book. The ladies will be pretty. Some longer dresses and lots of jewels. I'll have to depend on the jewels to dress up my outfit because I have to be in the kitchen at times. I can't wear something that I could light on fire or dip in the dish water.

Everyone needs an excuse to dress up these days, so I am providing the perfect excuse.

I also have a surprise in store. I have hired a pianist to play our grand piano during the cocktail hour. He will play standards and show tunes. We have one guy coming to the party that sings in his own comedy/Sinatra show so we might get lucky and hear him sing. Either way it will be fun to hear the house filled with piano music instead of the stereo.

I have not finalized the menu yet but it will be things that go along with the ZReboot phase of The Zola Diet. That's when you get oils and fats added back into the menu. People are amazed at how much they can eat and they don't gain weight! I think I might make the Coquille St. Jacques recipe I am giving you today. That would make a lovely sit-down appetizer. Before that we'll have some finger-cocktail treats. The dinner I think will also have a cream sauce made with shallots and Dijon mustard on either chicken or pork. A nice salad will be served after the entrée and a dessert buffet will be set up. I guess I have much of it planned. I just have to get organized.

I'm sure it will be a fun party. I'll tell you the highlights next week.

Quick Coquilles St. Jacques -- Scallops in a Creamy Mushroom-Parmesan Sauce
Serves 2 as an entrée or smaller portions can be served as an appetizer

I had my first Coquille St. Jacques in a restaurant in Chicago when I was 20 years old. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I had never had scallops and was a bit timid. I took my first bite and swooned. I gazed out the window of the restaurant and just let the cream sauce settle in my mouth like a fine red wine. Then I swallowed.

This was the first occasion when I asked the waiter if I might step into the kitchen and lick the pan it was cooked in. I was kidding, of course, but it was an appetizer course I shall never forget.

Ingredients:

1 Tbl of butter

1 shallot minced

1 tsp of minced garlic

8 oz of mushrooms, sliced

8 to 12 oz of scallops, rinsed and drained. If you use bay scallops you leave them alone. If you use sea scallops cut each one into 3 or 4 pieces.

1 cup of heavy cream

1 tsp of lemon juice

1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp of minced parsley

1 tsp of minced thyme (for either of these you can use dry herbs. Just lessen the amount)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Begin preheating your broiler

Put the butter in a large sauté pan. I use a cast iron pan so I can just transfer it into the oven when I need to broil it later. Add the shallot and minced garlic. Heat until beginning to bubble. Add the mushrooms and cook them until just before they begin to brown. Then add the scallops and continue to cook on medium high until the shallots are no longer translucent.

Add the cream and lemon juice.

Cook on medium high until the sauce thickens. This should not take more than about five minutes. The cream will be bubbling.

While this is going on, in a small bowl, add the parmesan cheese, the herbs and a good grind of salt and pepper. Stir.

When the sauce on the scallops is nice and creamy take it off the heat. Pour the parmesan cheese mixture all over the top. Put the pan in the oven under your broiler and cook it until the parmesan is browning and the edges you'll see the cream bubbling along.

IMPORTANT: If you don't use a cast iron pan you will need to use a pan that can handle the heat of the broiler. Transfer your scallop mixture before you put on the grated cheese mixture and then proceed.

When the broiling is complete carefully remove the pan from the heat and set it on a safe surface. Let it cool down for a few minutes before serving. If you serve it too soon you may burn your mouth so give it a rest first.

Cheers
Enjoy,
Zola

Send email to Zola at zolacooks@gmail.com.