Saturday, February 4, 2012

Scallops au Gratin

It is rich and creamy without even using heavy cream or lots of fat.

Serves - 4  /  Serving Size - 1/4 of recipe
Preparation Time -  25 minutes (approx)
Cooking Time - 12-15 minutes

Canola cooking spray
2 tsp cornstarch
2 Tblspn water
1 tsp margarine
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1 pound bay scallops, cleaned
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
2 Tblspn dry white wine
1/3 cup evaporated nonfat milk
1-1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tblspn shredded reduced-fat Jarlsberg cheese
1/4 cup dry plain bread crumbs
2 tsp grated Romano cheese
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 Tblspn chopped fresh parsley, or 1 tsp dried parsley flakes

1.  Preheat oven 400ºF.

2.  In a small bowl, combine the constarch and water and stir until smooth.

3.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Away from the heat source, spray with the cooking spray.  Return to the heat and add the margarine.  Add the shallots and sauté for 1 minute.  Add the scallops and tarragon and sauté for 4 minutes, or until the scallops become somewhat firm to the touch.  Remove the scallops to a bowl and set aside.

4.  To the same skillet, add the white whine, evaporated milk, and mustard and bring to a simmer.  Slowly stir in the cornstarch mixture and continue to cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the Jarlsberg cheese until it melts.  Return the scallops to the skillet and stir so that they are well coated.

5.  Combine the bread crumbs, Romano cheese and black pepper in a small bowl.

6.  Divide the scallop mixture evenly among 4 1-cup oven-proof au gratin dishes, or pour the entire mixture into a 1-quart oven-proof dish.  Sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture and spray lightly with cooking spray.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the crumbs turn golden and the liquid bubbles.

7.  To serve, place each individual au gratin dish on a dinner plate and sprinkle with parsley.  If you used on large baking dish, divide the scallops among 4 dinner plates and top each with parsley.

Exchanges: 2 Medium-fat meat / 1 fat-free milk
Calories - 258                              Sodium - 419mg
Total Fat - 6.2g                           Total carb - 15.1g    w/ net carb - 14.5g
   Saturated Fat - 2.8g                      Dietary Fiber - 0.6g
   Monounsat Fat - 1.8 g                  Sugar - 3.2g
   Polyunsat Fat - 0.9g                   Protein - 32.6g
Cholesterol - 52mg                        Starches - 1.5g

Source: The Diabetic Gourmet Cookbook by the Editors of Diabetic Gourmet Magazine

Review/Suggestions:

  • Ok, I finally broke down and bought dry white wine, along with half of the other ingredients I did not have: tarragon, Jarlsberg, Romano cheese, evap milk and scallops.  Well, on the bright side, I now have the majority of the items to make this again.
  • The great debate: I thought it tasted good with the additional amount of Jarlsberg, but my boyfriend felt it overpowered the other flavors.
  • When the recipe said to use 1-cup au gratin dishes, my first thought was to fill the au gratin dish with 1 cup of the mixture.  Wrong!  I soon realized that dividing this mixture evenly meant a heaping 1/2 cup.  If you have ravenous eaters who haven't adjusted to health-conscious portions, be prepared.
  • If you are going to prepare rice to accompany this dish, start it first or else you and the scallops will be left waiting.




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