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| Illustration of Scallops and Sprouts Salad w/Mulberry Gastrique |
I wanted to discover the delicate side of my growing garden and I had a wonderful learning experience in sprouts. I am at the thinning phase for some, so I thought it would be fruitful to see what I could develop with some of the freshest springtime ingredients available, literally in my own yard. The birds hadn't eaten all of the Mulberries from our tree just yet and I was able to procure a full cup, from which I made the Gastrique.
I reduced the berries and honey with a little water down to about 3 tablespoons, then added the aged balsamic, reducing again to about 2 tablespoons. I used a good aged balsamic and wildflower honey. Fresh ginger, lemon, organic extra virgin olive oil and Irish butter also make an appearance. I used slices of ginger to scent the olive oil before searing the scallops. I added the Irish butter after flipping the scallops and getting the caramelization on the tops. I made a simple vinaigrette using the organic olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon, sage flowers, cracked pepper and Fleur de Sel. I garnished with microgreens from my homegrown Brassicas.
The recipe turned out wonderfully, though the stencil of the pea shoots could have been better. I wanted to share the above photo of how my mind sees recipe ideas and ingredients before becoming a finished product. Grab some sprouts from your garden and have at it, it's a most rewarding experience. Micorgreens can have upwards of 40 times the nutrients of regularly grown greens, bigger isn't always better!
