One of my favorite dishes to make is a French one. Montreal has a very strong European influence. It is one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world. We have so many different cultures here and our cuisine is a reflection of this wonderful diversity. Whatever you are in the mood for, you will find it in Montreal. Luckily, even during this pandemic, many of our favorite restaurants are still offering take out and delivery options. The type of cuisine you will find the most of in Montreal is French. There are many French bistros, cafes and fine dining restaurants.
Like me, many people are doing a lot more cooking at home. We are trying out new recipes and eating home cooked meals. So, in honour of French cuisine, I will be sharing my version of Coquille St. Jacques.
For this recipe, you will need:
6 large potatoes
1/2 pound of shrimp
1/2 pound of scallops
1 cup of mushrooms
1 cup of white wine
1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of shredded Swiss cheese
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 an onion
1 cup of butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
parsley to garnish
In a large pot, boil the 6 potatoes until they are soft enough to mash. Mash them and add 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of cream and season with salt and pepper. Once the potatoes are smooth and creamy, set them aside.
In a large skillet, heat the remaining butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add your garlic and onion and cook on medium heat until translucent. Add your mushrooms and cook until lightly browned. Next, add your shrimp and scallops. Don’t cook them all the way through as they will be baked in the oven even further and you don’t want to overcook your seafood and they will become chewy. Add your cup of white wine and turn up the heat a little more. Once the alcohol has been evaporated, add in your heavy cream and season with your salt and pepper.
Add your seafood mixture to your mashed potatoes. Place this blended mixture into a baking dish and top it with your grated Swiss cheese. Put the baking dish in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. Change the oven setting to a low broil for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese and brown and bubbly. Add parsley for a final garnish.
This is a very rich dish that is often served as an antipasto but you can eat it as a meal. I like to serve mine in seashell shaped dishes as an appetiser before a surf and turf main course for very special occasions.
I hope you will give this French dish a try. If you do, please take a photo and share it with us on Microsoft Teams where you access your French or English online lessons.
Bon appetit from your EC Montreal family!
