Recipe: Scallop Skewers

1 Cut your parsnips and potato into large chunks, put in a pan and cover with water. Add 1 bay leaf, salt and bring to a gentle boil for 20 minutes.

2 Meanwhile, cut each scallop into 4 cubes, salt and pepper then heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat. Sauté your scallops for 15 seconds just long enough for them to color, then transfer with the juice to a plate.

3 In the same pan, sweat your chopped shallot with a little butter then add the white wine, cream, salt, pepper and let reduce by half. Then add the corals cut into tiny pieces. Cook for 30 seconds, remove the pan from heat and keep covered.

4 Drain your cooked parsnips and potatoes well. Pass them through a food mill then return to your pan and dry out with a spatula for 5 minutes over heat, like choux pastry. Remove from heat then slowly add your hazelnut oil, adjust seasoning and keep warm covered.

5 Prepare your skewers, 4 pieces of scallop on each and keep them warm in the oven preheated to 250°F (120 °C) (th 4).

6 For your sauce, add to your juice and corals the liquid released by the scallops, add a few herbs then blend for just 5 seconds, you should still see some coarse bits. Adjust seasoning and keep warm.

7 On a large flat plate, crack your quail eggs with a sharp blow of the knife then heat a crêpe pan with a little butter. Slide your eggs in when it's hot, cook for 2 minutes then pour the pan by sliding the eggs onto your work surface and with a small pastry ring cut nice circles.

8 On warm plates, place a tall pastry ring, fill it halfway with parsnip mousse, add some toasted hazelnuts, cover with the egg, the coral cream around it and the scallop skewers presented harmoniously.

3 flavors + 3 textures for this lovely dish.

* I added 1 potato because in my first attempts the parsnip mousse was too liquid.