Steal This Recipe® Seared Hokkaido Scallops | Alexander's Steakhouse

Seared Hokkaido Scallops with Vanilla-Beet Puree, Caramelized Pineapple Compote, Golden Beets, and Chioggia Beet Chips

This "stolen" this recipe is from Alexander's Steakhouse in Cupertino, California. This dish takes classic seared scallops and infuses it with the flavors of three varieties of a summertime favorite – beets. From the mild, golden beets to the sweet, peppery Chioggia (pronounced key-oh-juh) beets, this colorful presentation will surely brighten up your table, and your palate!

About the chef: Growing up, Chef Jeffrey Stout was exposed to flavors that spanned the Far East, across Europe (via his father's Danish heritage), and his home in the San Francisco Bay Area. His mother, a Japanese immigrant, would make homemade ravioli and manicotti at one dinner, and then serve broiled salted fish with Japanese pickles and rice at the next. Without knowing the difference, Stout's palate and eventual cooking style developed to reflect his home life: Continental cuisine melded with Japanese influences.

The opening of Alexander's Steakhouse was the culmination of his experiences as a chef, staff manager, and researcher and developer of corporate menus. Reuniting with a former colleague, J.C. Chen, the two opened the restaurant to bring their love of pan-Asian cuisine and big, juicy steaks to the Bay Area, and in turn, break the mold of the traditional steakhouse concept.

At Alexander's, Stout's seasonally changing menu is rooted in traditional fare, while at the same time offering contemporary small plates for sharing and steaks finished with carefully reduced sauces, all allowing for constant culinary inspiration. "I would bet a year's wages that in a blind tasting, my partner, J.C. [Chen] would be able to pick my dish from among other chefs," says Stout.

Alexander's Steakhouse
10330 N. Wolfe Road
Cupertino, California 95014
408 446 2222

Seared Hokkaido Scallops with Vanilla-Beet Puree, Caramelized Pineapple Compote, Golden Beets, and Chioggia Beet Chips are served at Alexander's Steakhouse for $18.00.

This recipe makes two restaurant servings.

This is a 5-part recipe:
Seared Hokkaido Scallops
Vanilla-Beet Puree
Caramelized Pineapple Compote
Golden Beets
Chioggia Beet Chips

Seared Hokkaido Scallops Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
5 Hokkaido scallops
Salt, to taste
Squeeze of 1/2 lemon

Vanilla-Beet Puree Ingredients:
1 red beet, softball-sized
1 vanilla bean, scraped
Salt, to taste

Caramelized Pineapple Compote Ingredients:
1 cup pineapple, finely diced
4 Tbsp sugar
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 cup water

Golden Beets Ingredients:
1 golden beet, softball-sized
Salt, to taste
Squeeze of 1/2 lemon
Chives, finely minced, to taste

Chioggia Beet Chips Ingredients:
2 baby Chioggia beets
2 cups vegetable oil
Salt, to taste

Seared Hokkaido Scallops Steal This Recipe® Step-by-Step Instructions:
Heat half the butter and the olive oil in a sauté pan.
Season the scallops with salt and sear approximately 2 minutes on each side, or until firm to the touch.
Add the other half of butter and squeeze of lemon.
Remove from heat, and allow scallops to rest on a paper towel.

Vanilla-Beet Puree Steal This Recipe® Step-by-Step Instructions:
Place beet in pot and cover with water with salt.
Simmer for approximately 45 minutes, or until soft when pricked with a toothpick.
Remove and allow to cool; reserve the cooking water.
When cool, use a towel to rub the outside to remove skins.
Place beet in a blender with a bit of cooking water to adjust consistency; blend to very smooth.
Add scrapings from vanilla bean and salt.

Caramelized Pineapple Compote Steal This Recipe® Step-by-Step Instructions:
In a pan, add the sugar and caramelize to brown.
Add the pineapple and the vanilla bean scrapings.
Add water and allow to cook down, approximately 20 minutes over low heat, until chutney-like consistency is achieved.
Allow to cool.

Golden Beets Steal This Recipe® Step-by-Step Instructions:

Place beet in pot, and cover with water with salt.
Simmer for approximately 45 minutes, or until soft when pricked with a toothpick.
Remove and allow to cool.
When cool, use a towel to rub the outside to remove skins.
Cut into cubes and squeeze lemon juice on cubes.
Toss with chives and another pinch of salt.

Chioggia Beet Chips Steal This Recipe® Step-by-Step Instructions:
Slice the beets thinly using a Japanese mandolin or electric slicer.
Fry in vegetable oil to make chips.
Remove to paper towel; sprinkle with salt.

Chef's Serving Suggestion:
Drop Vanilla-Beet Puree onto a plate in 3 piles and drag with the back of a spoon to form a line.
Place cooled Pineapple Compote on plate in 3 piles; top with Chioggia Beet Chips.
Place Seared Hokkaido Scallops onto plate, followed by Golden Beets.
Optional: Garnish with basil oil and Nasturtium leaves.