I am not really much of a fan of reality TV for the most part. Shows like Real World, Surreal World, Survivor, Amazing Race, and the like, don’t interest me much. But I have to say, I don’t miss an episode of Top Chef. I am pretty sure that it is the competition for sure, but the food has me really captured. I time shift the show, which means I record it on DVR and watch it later, so I have to stay away from Michelle’s blog because she live blogs every episode and she will spoil it for me. Nevertheless, it’s pretty cool what she does.

The winner of last year’s show was Stephanie Izard. The recipe here was from her little layout in Food and Wine magazine. So I’m reading this recipe and I’m thinking, okay we’ve got bacon, scallops, and Swiss chard? This produced and instant Pavlovian effect and I began to imagine the flavors. I had to do something about this!

Then…

…an epiphany!

Hey, I’ll make this!

Off to Whole Paychex and what do I find? Fresh gigantic scallops! I mean GIGANTIC. In that shot below, that plate is not a salad plate and that “little” scallop on the left is actually big, whereas the other two are ginormous! I’m not a small guy and I can eat plenty. That is my plate; Beck could only eat two.

...

I found some fresh rainbow chard and paired it with apple wood smoked bacon. The scallops were seared in oil to get a good crust then butter was added and spooned over top while they finished.

Dontcha want some?

Seared Scallops with Bacon Braised Chard: Adapted form Stephanie Izard.

INGREDIENTS:

3 thick slices of bacon, cut into lardons
1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1 3/4 pounds rainbow chard—stems sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick, leaves cut into 1-inch strips
2 teaspoons soy sauce
salt and freshly ground pepper
12 large sea scallops
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp butter

METHOD:

Chard:

1. In a large, deep skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.

2. Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until softened. Add the garlic and stir until tender but not browned, 2 minutes.

3. Add the tomato and cook until it begins to break down about 2 minutes. Add the chard stems and cook until tender Add the chard leaves and cook over moderately high heat, tossing, until wilted

4. Add the soy sauce and cook for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Scallops

1. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. In another large skillet, heat the oil until just smoking.

2. Add the scallops and cook over high heat for 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook until golden on the bottom, about 3 minutes.

3. Turn the scallops and add the butter. Cook, spooning the butter on the scallops, until just white throughout, about 3 minutes.

4. Spoon the chard onto plates, top with the scallops and serve