I used to have a Pink Pearl apple tree in my backyard and that's the only reason I even know about them. The trees are just as striking as the fruit with bright pink blossoms that attract lots of bees. These fuchsia fleshed beauties have an extremely short growing period (mid August through early September) so if you're lucky enough to find them, buy a whole bushel.

Pink pearl's are sweet and mouth puckering tart at the same time. Even more so than granny smith and pippin so they are fantastic for making PINK apple tarts, apple sauce, and apple appetizers.

The idea for the apple cups came from Chef François Payard who often finds creative ways to present mini bites. Every time I have made these cups, whether with regular apples or pink pearl's, I get rave reviews. They just dissolve magically when you bite into them. To make the cups slice the apples thin on a mandoline, dip in simple syrup, and dry out in the oven until they feel like leather.

While they are still warm from the oven, press the slices gently into a mini muffin pan and voilà you have a little cute cup to stuff with whatever tickles you pink. (I used fromage blanc and crème fraîche with a little brunoise of pink pearl apples, celery, and proscuitto)

Pink Pearl Apple Cups with Fromage Blanc

Ingredients

3 pink pearl apples

8 ounces fromage blanc

2 ounces crème fraîche

2 celery stalks with some extra light green leaves for garnish

3 sheets of proscuitto

2 pinches dried thyme

1 lemon

salt and pepper

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 160˚F and use convection if possible. Make simple syrup by adding water and sugar to a small pot, place on medium-high heat and simmer until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. Using a mandoline slice 2 whole apples (don't core or peel) horizontally and paper thin, about 1/8-inch or even less if you can. The thinner the slice the easier it is to mold later.

Dip slices into simple syrup and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Bake for an hour or until the apples are no longer wet and sticky. They should feel like leather and be dry. Once apples have dried remove them from the oven. While still warm press the slices gently into a mini muffin tin.  

In a small bowl mix the fromage blanc, crème fraîche, dried thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate. 6. Brunoise (cut into tiny, tiny cubes) the celery and the remaining apple. Mix the two together and squeeze a little lemon over to keep the apple from discoloring. Chop the proscuitto and fry in a small pan until crisp and brown. Remove from heat and chop into even smaller bits.

Fill the apple cups with a small dollop of the cheese mixture and garnish with the proscuitto, apple & celery brunoise, and a little celery leaf.

The post Pink Pearl Apple Cups with Fromage Blanc first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

A word on scallops… in France they come fresh, popped straight from the shell, without any additives. In the States, they are mostly frozen and then thawed. When buying previously frozen scallops make sure to ask if they have additives. Many frozen scallops have a saline solution (or some weird chemical) added that is supposed to keep them tasting juicy.

However, it often ends up steaming the scallops during the cooking process making them difficult to properly sear. The best previously frozen scallops are "dry packed". They sear nicely and taste fresh without any strange milky liquid.

And a word on sweet potatoes…

They are not yams! They are a distant relative but, were domesticated in the Americas as early as 5000 years ago. They are also not kissing cousins with potatoes either, although probably closer in relation. They come in many different colors: white, orange, and purple. And, they are extremely high in nutritional value.

I came up with the idea for saffron sweet potatoes purée by mistake. I was actually trying to figure out the ingredients to a soup I had at a Spanish restaurant in Paris. But, after tasting the purée, I decided to leave it – super yummy! The purée has no butter or cream and it is amazingly velvety in texture and rich tasting.

The dandelion greens are a nice bitter contrast for the sweet potatoes and the smokiness of the prosciutto goes along with everything. I also made little white sweet potato croutons to scatter around the plate for fun and to add some crispiness. 1 potato, 2 potato, sweet potato, more!

Prosciutto Wrapped Scallops with Saffron Sweet Potato Purée, Wilted Dandelion Greens, Caramelized Onions, & White Sweet Potato Croutons

Serves 2 people and can be doubled no prob

6 huge sea scallops

1 package prosciutto

1 bunch dandelion greens

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1 small white sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 medium shallot diced

2 medium sweet onions, sliced

Chicken stock (enough to cover your sweet potato)

10 saffron threads (more or less depending on how strong they are)

1 bay leaf olive oil dried thyme salt and freshly ground pepper toothpicks

Wrap 1/2 prosciutto slice around sides of each scallop and stick a toothpick through to hold. Refrigerate. Slice sweet onions on a madonline 1/4-inch thick. Heat a medium sized pot on medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add all the onions. Don't stir them until they start to brown on the bottom.

Turn down the heat to low and allow them to caramelize slowly. If they start to get too brown, or they don't have enough juice add chicken stock a little at a time. (can be made 1 day in advance and reheated). Season with a pinch of dried thyme, salt, and pepper.

Peel and chop the sweet potato. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a medium pot on medium heat. Sweat (cook slowly, don't brown) one medium shallot and add sweet potato. Cover with just enough chicken stock to immerse the potato and add saffron and bay leaf. Simmer until are soft. Remove sweet potatoes with a slotted spoon to a Cuisinart or blender and purée, adding the saffron cooking liquid little by little until the all is smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm. (Can be made 1 day before and reheated).  

Peel and dice small (about 1/2" inch) one white sweet potato. Cook briefly in a pot of simmering water or olive oil (to confit, but it's not absolutely necessary) until al dente, about 1-2 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towel. Refrigerate until ready to crisp up.  Heat a small non-stick skillet on medium high heat and add a little splash of olive oil – not a lot because the proscuitto has fat in it too! When skillet is hot, sear the scallops on all sides, top and bottom included. If the toothpicks get in the way remove them after most of the sides are browned. Scallops cook quickly, the large scallops I used for this took about 3 1/2 minutes total. Remove to a plate and keep in a warm area.

Crisp up the white sweet potato in the same skillet using remaining proscuitto fat from the pan. While cooking the scallops heat a small pot on medium high heat and add 1 Tablespoon olive oil. When oil is hot add the leaves (not the stems) from the dandelion greens and cook stirring often until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Drizzle a little balsamic vinegar over and season with salt and pepper.  

To plate: spoon sweet potato purée on a plate and place a dollop of caramelized onions in the center. Place scallops on top with another dollop of onions and the dandelion greens on either side. Sprinkle sweet potato croutons around plate.

Note: if desiring more acidity in this dish, drizzle some reduced balsamic vinegar around plate in tiny drops.

The post Prosciutto Wrapped Scallops & Saffron Sweet Potatoes first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.