A Bit of History

Growing up involved an evolution of food shows. It was mostly my father and I who would watch them while the rest of the family was in the backyard. When I was very young, I remember some Julia Child. All I could focus on was they way she spoke. It reminded me of Chef from the Muppet show.

The program that really got through to me was Great Chefs of the World. All the food they cooked seems so elegant, beautiful, and delicious! The produce and cooking styles were so complex and… well bizarre! They used scallops a lot and in fantastic ways. The farthest I had explored was just searing them at my grandfather’s house.

There is a list of ways I like scallops now and my favorite is with bacon. Hey, we could all use a bit more bacon in the diet! Another plus is when you go to the grocery store to pick up some bacon and beer you can have a cashier ask you “So what else are you doing today besides the eating bacon and drinking beer?”

Mustard Crusted Bacon Wrapped Scallops

4 Scallops

Enough Cooked Bacon to Wrap Scallops

3 Tablespoons Breadcrumbs

1 Tablespoon Herbes de Provence

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon Whole Grain Mustard

1 Splash of Worcestershire

Toothpicks

Butter

Lemon Wedges

When cooking bacon the best way to do it is on a rack in the oven at 400° for 10 to 15 minutes. That way you don’t deal with a mess on your stovetop. Also by cooking it only till soft later in the week if you want a piece for breakfast you can re-heat in a frying pan without making it too crispy. Save the bacon fat in the fridge. It makes a great fat to cook in.

Mix together breadcrumbs and herbs in one bowl. In another bowl stir the mustards and Worcestershire. Once bacon is cool wrap each scallop in a piece of bacon and pin together with toothpick. In some situations, depending on the size of your bacon and scallops, you may only use half of a piece of bacon. After the bacon is pin with toothpicks, dip exposed sides of scallop in to the mustard mixture and then in to the breadcrumbs.

Heat a fry pan to medium heat then add a tablespoon of butter to the pan. Add scallops and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Make sure the crust is brown on both sides and they are ready to serve with the lemon wedges. They are perfect when you just squeeze a little lemon over them right before eating!