ST JACQUES CRUES, GELEES ET VANILLEeS

My little cats! 

I've found the sun, it was hiding just above the Croisette, I'm back from 48 intensive hours in Cannes, I'll have to give you a colorful debrief next week! You've no idea how much this unexpected sunny interlude surprised me and did me good. I'm reassured that it hasn't disappeared from the universe, and that to my great surprise, it's over Paris today! Weather aside, I hope you're all well, I'm a little behind schedule on this theme week, but you'll have until Sunday as it is! And then, finding a special "in the navy" recipe wasn't easy, but you know I can't say it often enough, constraints are sometimes a source of creativity! On that note, I'll leave you with my little recipe for vanilla scallop tartare, super easy, and which I'm sure will delight your guests' taste buds. For my part, my one and only guest and lover for this sweet and savory aperitif/entrée, didn't leave me a single crumb... And adding a mouthful, there's more to come?

To make a dozen small bites, you'll need..:

• - 6 large, fresh scallops without coral,
• - 2 lemons and one lime (juice and zest),
• - 1 tablespoon hazelnut oil,
• - 1 half sachet agar agar,
• - 75g flour,
• - 50g kneaded butter,
• - 25 g caster sugar,
• - 2 tsp bourbon vanilla extract.

To begin, thinly slice the scallops in a bowl. Marinate the scallops for 10 minutes in hazelnut oil, the juice and zest of a lemon, a pinch of fleur de sel and a dash of white pepper. In the meantime, get a silicone half-sphere mould - mine I use all the time (for the nipples of Marie-Antoinette it's a special mold for chocolates...). After 10 minutes, carefully place the drained scallop slices in the various cavities of the silicone mold, reserving the marinade. Transfer the marinade to a small saucepan, and add the juice of the second lemon and the lime, plus half a sachet of agar agar. Mix well and bring the mixture to the boil, stirring constantly. Once the mixture has come to the boil, remove from the heat and fill the holes left by the scallops in the various cavities of the mold. Set aside for the jelly to set in the fridge for around 1h30. 

While the jelly is setting, work on the vanilla cookies. Mix the softened butter, flour, sugar and vanilla in a bowl, then knead the dough. If it becomes too sticky, add a little more flour, and film it before placing it in the fridge for around 15 minutes. Once your dough has solidified and cooled, roll it out on a floured surface by about 1cm. Using a cookie cutter of the same diameter as your silicone mould, cut out the cookies. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake at 150°C for 20 to 25 minutes.

Let them cool completely before handling, then arrange your scallop tarts on the cookies, sprinkled with fleur de sel and a touch of lemon zest... Enjoy!