Scallop Truffles

We're cooking Scallop Truffles with Vanilla-pink peppercorn beurre blanc over local greens with Executive Chef Pierre St-Germain of RISD-Caters.

Ingredients:
• Cocoa powder
• Corn starch
• Cocoa grilling spice or favorite ground chile
• Scallops
• Butter
• Shallots
• Vanilla bean
• Pink peppercorns
• White wine
• Rice wine vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Heavy cream
• Salt

Chocolate Crust (used to crust 'Bomster' Scallop "Truffles")
Produces ¼+ cup, enough to crust 20 scallops
• 2 T. Cocoa powder
• 2T. Corn Starch
• 1 ½ T. Cocoa grilling spice (Ocean State Chocolate)

Method:
Combine all ingredients.
Toss scallops in mixture and shake off excess before searing. Sear scallops on medium-high heat and immediately reduce to medium once the cocoa starts to darken.
Cook for approximately 2-3 minutes on each side depending on size of scallops and preferred doneness.

Vanilla-Pink Peppercorn Beurre Blanc (sauce for scallop "truffles")
Produces approximately 1 cup
• 8 T. unsalted butter
• ½ T. minced shallots
• ¼ vanilla bean
• ½ tsp. crushed pink peppercorns
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 T. rice wine vinegar
• 2 T. lemon juice
• ½ cup cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
In 2 T. butter sauté the shallots, the pink peppercorn and the vanilla bean on medium heat until the shallots become clear.
Once the shallots become translucent, add the white wine, rice vinegar and lemon juice, and reduce this by ½- ¾ on a medium heat.
Now, add cream and simmer for another 3-5 minutes, reducing by a further 50%.
Melt the final 6 T. butter into the sauce and season to taste.
 

About the chef:

Executive Chef, Pierre St-Germain, oversees campus catering and collaborates with the Food Service Director and the school’s chefs to provide an exceptional dining program to the RISD community.

Pierre was trained at Johnson and Wales and has worked at such places as the Sundance Ranch (co-host site to the Sundance Film Festival) in Sundance, Utah, at Café Sunflower (award winning vegetarian cuisine) in Atlanta, Georgia.

In Providence, he started his career at the legendary Leon’s on the West Side and continued perfecting his Mediterranean repertoire at Raphael’s Bar-Risto.

Though his entire family is from Woonsocket, Pierre grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. His knowledge of a variety of cuisines and his years of catering experience elevates the school’s dining program to the level of restaurant quality cuisine.