seared scallop macarons with chanterelles and thyme

serves 4

what you need:

sauté
1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4  cups sliced chanterelles and champignons de Paris (or white mushrooms) 
½ teaspoon fresh French thyme leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh Italian parsley
⅛ cup dry white wine (or Grappa)
kosher salt (as needed)
freshly ground black pepper as needed

scallops
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter (or oil)
12-16 large scallops
kosher salt (as needed)
freshly ground black pepper (as needed)
1 beautiful, ripe pear
fresh French thyme (as needed)
1 fresh lemon 
truffled olive oil, walnut or hazelnut oil (optional)

how to:

• Sauté Mushrooms. Place a sauté pan over medium-high heat. One pan is hot, add butter. Add mushrooms and thyme. Add a pinch of salt. Once mushrooms are beginning to stick to the pan, add white wine and reduce au sec (until the wine has been cooked out of the pan). 

• Adjust Seasoning. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add a little lemon juice if necessary. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and cover with aluminum foil to keep them warm while you cook the scallops.

• Season Scallops. If the foot is still attached to the scallop muscle, remove it. Season both side of the scallops with salt and pepper.  

• Sauté  Scallops. Place the sauté pan you used for the mushrooms back on the stove over a medium-high flame. Working in batches of 4-6, sear each side of the scallop for 2 minutes (they should still be translucent in the center). Remove and add to mushrooms and keep them warm until all the scallops have been cooked.

• Slice Pear & Scallops. Slice a pear in half. Place the cut side down on a flat surface. Thinly slice the pear half (in any direction). If a slice has core/seeds, trim that off.  Slice all of the scallops in half horizontally. Place a pear slice in between the two halves of the scallop. 

• Plate. Place mushrooms on each plate with 3-4 scallop “macarons” on top in a decorative way.