1: Scallops & Shrimp / Champange Sauce with Mushrooms & Broccoli / Whole Wheat Penne

Welcome to my food blog! I started this food blog to share my experiences with food, wine, and people. The act of sitting down to share a meal with great company is a centerpiece of many cultures. It allows time for family and friends to catch up, discuss current issues, laugh, and strengthen any bond. A good meal is an amazing experience, and I hope you will enjoy the recipes and stories shared within. I love hearing feedback and trading recipes, so don't be shy in the comments section.

This inaugural post includes a dinner I made for the first time tonight, and it is inspired by my love of classical French cooking, with a New World twist of course. This is nice well-balanced meal. The tender and sweet nature of the bay scallops is wonderfully contrasted against the rich sauce that is surprisingly light. The mushrooms help ground the flavor while the broccoli brightens up the dish, with a dash of fresh chopped thyme and lemon zest rounding out the flavor profile quite well. We drank a New Zealand sauvignon blanc with this dinner, but you may consider a pinot grigio if you prefer a cleaner, crisper finish to your wine. The beauty of this recipe is that it can be tweaked in so many ways, but give it a try this way first!

Ingredients and Directions:

-whole wheat penne pasta

-3/4 pound of fresh bay scallops

-1/4 pound of fresh shrimp, deveined and peeled

-1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms

-1 cup broccoli cut in small pieces

-2 tablespoons minced white onion

-2 garlic cloves minced

-1 cup dry champagne

-3/4 cup heavy cream

-1 cup water

-3 tablespoons butter

-2 tablespoons all purpose flour

-sea salt and pepper to taste

-fresh thyme chopped for garnish

-lemon juice or fresh lemon zest for garnish

Choose a 12-14 inch pan. Coat the cold pan with 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the scallops, shrimp, mushrooms, onion, garlic, champagne, water and salt and pepper to the cold skillet. Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Create a paste with the flour and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter while waiting for sauce to boil. This is also a good time to begin cooking the pasta according to directions on package. Reduce heat to low once the sauce is boiling and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove ingredients from the sauce and keep at room temperature.

Return the sauce to stove top and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce sauce by about half, about 10 minutes, and add the paste and cream to thicken. Return to a rolling boil, making sure to continuously whisk until all of the paste is dissolved. Steam the broccoli while waiting for the stock to boil again. When broccoli is done steaming, add the seafood and all vegetables to the sauce. Bring to a boil one final time and serve immediately over a plate of pasta. Garnish with chopped thyme and a dash of lemon juice or fresh lemon zest.

Enjoy!