I know it's February but this was the dinner I made on Christmas
Eve in Paris. And it is good enough to share with you anytime - in fact, it
would make a great dinner for Valentine’s Day.
When we were in Paris gathering groceries at the Marché Beauvau,
I came across a wonderful seafood vendor - La Marée Beauvau.
They had the most beautiful St. Jacques (scallops) I had seen;
they were in their shells with their coral. That is definitely something you
don't often see in my part of the United States.
Just the day before, our friend Marie-Lise told us that we should
take advantage of the season when the St. Jacques are at their peak. Twist my
arm!
She suggested making them with leeks, a favorite preparation of
hers. We picked up ten beautiful scallops, 3 leeks, crème fraîche, a couple
handfuls of mâche, and headed back to the Marais.
I wanted to make them a little special for Christmas by adding
some special flavor to the leeks. I looked around the apartment...
We had a few clementines set aside for Christmas breakfast, and
our landlady had a little curry powder. A little of this, a little of that.
The flavors came together beautifully, the zest of the
clementines playing nicely with the curry powder. We thought it was fantastic.
You know what it was like? It was like
being in Paris and having an amazing meal. It was just like that.
The wine - a 2015 Côtes de Provence white I had purchased a few
days before - paired beautifully with scallops and leeks. You can read more
about the pairing on the Provence WineZine.
Happy Valentine's Day! It is a day for all the people you love,
and who love you back!
