Peach Bacon Chutney + Seared Scallops

INGREDIENTS

For the chutney:

• Ripe peaches, 4 ea
• Bacon, 1 lb
• Yellow onion, 1 ea
• Shallot, 1 ea
• Brown sugar, 1 cup
• Dijon mustard, 1 tbs
• Apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup
• Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbs
• Bourbon, 1 shot
• Black pepper

For the scallops:

• Jumbo scallops
• Salt
• Pepper
• Grapeseed oil

AN IMPORTANT NOTE ON OIL: We sear scallops on a scalding hot pan. As such, you must use a cooking oil with a high smoke point that can handle this heat. Why, you ask? Quite simply, if you cook a low smoke point oil (olive oil is a perfect example) at a heat above said smoke point... the oil burns... and then your food takes on that burnt flavor. Clearly, this is not what we want. Therefore, whenever you are cooking, be aware and use the appropriate oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Peeling a Peach

• This may sound crazy to you (that's what I thought the first time I tried it) but this is the undisputed best way to peel a peach...
• Bring water to a boil in a large pot
• Make a shallow crosshatch on the bottom of the peach (the end opposite to the stem)
• Submerge the peach in boiling water for 30 seconds... NO LONGER
• Remove and place immediately in an ice bath until cool enough to handle
  • Despite having taken a bath in boiling water, the peaches are still uncooked at this point
• Remove from ice bath and now you can easily peel the skin from the crosshatch with your barehands... CRAZY, right?!
• Core and dice the peeled peaches
  • QUICK NOTE: Make sure to dice the peaches consistently. The way you dice the peaches translates to the finished chutney. I would recommend a tight dice keeping the peaches to ~1/4 inch

Making the Chutney

• In a large cast iron pan over med-high heat, cook the diced bacon until crispy
  • Be patient and take your time here, get that bacon nice and crispy while rendering that fat out. Chewy bacon would STINK in this chutney (and anywhere else for that matter), so work to get that beautiful crispy bacon we all love
• Once crispy, remove to a paper towel lined plate and reserve some bacon fat to saute the onions
• Add diced onion to rendered bacon fat and cook until translucent
• Add peaches, brown sugar, ACV, mustard, and worcestershire... stir and let thicken for a few minutes
• Now add the pepper, bacon, and a shot of bourbon... maybe pour a shot for yourself as well, I mean you're killing it right now I think you deserve it
• Bring this all to a boil, then turn the heat down to maintain a simmer
• Stir occasionally and cook until the chutney is glossy, thicc, and beautiful... ~30 minutes
  • Really juicy peaches will result in a longer time needed to cook off that liquid and thicken up the chutney. Go by the consistency rather than the estimated cooking time
• Remove and cool, you can store this in the fridge for a few weeks

Seared Scallops

Prep The Scallops

• Prep plays a big role in successfully searing scallops and achieving that coveted golden brown sear, so listen up
• Place the scallops on a paper towel-lined plate, pat both sides dry with paper towel
  • You're probably thinking "this dude is a paper towel freak, wtf?" BUT there is a good reason... and that is to remove as much moisture from the scallops as possible. Moisture precludes us from achieving that beautiful golden color. As such, it is important to take measures to remove that moisture.
• Remove and discard the side muscle
• Place scallops back on paper towel-lined plate, cover with paper towel, and return to the refrigerator until ~10 minutes prior to cooking

Sear The Scallops

• Take the scallops out of the refrigerator, pat dry one last time, season with salt and pepper
• Allow to come to room temperature for ~10 minutes, DONT cook them stone cold
• In a pan large enough to fit the scallops with ample room in between, add a layer of grape seed oil, turn gas up to high heat
• Once wisps of smoke start to roll off the oil, add scallops
  • The scallops should be sizzzzzzlin' loudly the second they hit the pan, if this is not the case, it wasn't hot enough
• Cook ~2 minutes per side, or until you reach a nice golden brown sear
  • If you go to flip or remove the scallops and they stick, wait a few seconds... they will release when they are ready. Not everything is about you, ok?
• Remove to a plate and let the scallops rest so they finish cooking in the middle
• What you should see is a scallop with a beautiful golden brown sear, and when cut, a nice white center that is just barely opaque

Plating

• Channel your inner creative and come up with a fun plating idea. As I've found with plating, sometimes you strike gold and sometimes you super don't. One thing I find is that second guessing kills. Place things confidently and you get what you get
• The scallops and chutney are great as a couple BUT you can add a bunch of different elements to this flavor profile and potentially take it from an appetizer to an all-star entree... the world is your scallop (HA!)