Asian-Influenced Scallop Amuse-Bouche

4 servings

Ingredients

8 cherry tomatoes
8 large scallops, about a half-pound
1 teaspoon olive oil
Course salt
Juice from half a lemon
8 slices English seedless cucumber
8 homemade "Graham Crackers with a Kick" (see below)
3 teaspoons hoisin sauce
Zest of one lemon

Method

1. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, prepare a plate with cooking spray (or a scant amount of olive oil) and place the tomatoes, cut side up, on the plate. Roast about 40 minutes at 300º degrees. (This can be done in a toaster oven if you wish.) The tomatoes should dry out slightly and the skin will start to shrivel. Set aside.

2. Wash the scallops and dry them well. (Making sure they are dry is the key to getting a nice caramelized crust on the scallops.) Place 1 teaspoon olive oil in a heavy skillet on high heat. When the oil just starts to smoke place the scallops in the pan and cook them, undisturbed, for 2 minutes. Remove the scallops to a side plate. Squeeze the lemon juice over them and scatter on a pinch or two of salt.

3. To assemble, cut each scallop in half to make two disks. Place one uncaramelized scallop slice on each of the crackers, then stack on the cucumber slices, roasted tomato halves and the cararmelized scallop slices (crust side up). Top with a dab of hoisin sauce and a little knot of the lemon zest.

Nutritional Estimate: 4 Servings. Per serving: 191 Calories; 10 g Total Carbs; 0 g Dietary Fiber; 6 g Sugars; 3 g Fat; 22 mg Cholesterol; 182 mg Sodium; 10 g Protein. Weight Watchers: 3 points. (Note: estimate includes cracker.)

Graham Crackers with a Kick

Makes about 50 crackers 1 1/4" x 1 1/4"

Adapted from a recipe at Smitten Kitchen (smittenkitchen.com), credited to Nancy Silverton's "Pastries from the La Brea Bakery" (Villard, 2000). If you want more traditional graham crackers I'd suggest going to one of these sources.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 tablespoons Chinese "five-spice powder" (see note below)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 1/2 tablespoons butter - cut in chunks and frozen
2 tablespoons cold water
3 tablespoons cold milk

Method

1. Place the flour, sugar, baking soda, coarse salt, five-spice powder and cayenne pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to mix.

2. Add the frozen butter chunks and pulse until the mixture feels like coarse cornmeal. Do not over process.

3. Transfer the mixture to a plastic food-storage bag. Knead for a few seconds to coalesce the dough into a ball (it will be crumbly). Refrigerate for two hours or more.

4. On a floured board, roll the dough out to about 1/8" thick. Cut to desired shapes and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (Use a pasta cutter wheel if you want a serrated edge.)

Bake 20 minutes in a preheated 350º oven. Allow to cool completely before sealing in a plastic bag or container. The crackers may also be frozen for up to two weeks.

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Note: Five-spice powder. A traditional Chinese flavoring, five-spice powder is available in Asian markets. To make your own, combine equal parts of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, star anise seed and Szechuan peppercorns (all finely ground).