Cooking with Books: Sesame and Miso-Glazed Scallops with Coconut Milk-Braised Baby Bok Choy

I am a fan/disciple/devotee/stalker of Andrea Immer Robinson. One of the first female Master Sommeliers in the world, she has made a career teaching not just about wine, but about wine WITH food. What ingredients make food more wine friendly? (Thyme, coconut milk, tomatoes.) What are natural classic pairings? (Sauternes and foie gras.) And what are value/creative pairings? (Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot with a bacon and tomato sandwich...perhaps my favorite pairing ever.)

You don't see her on TV anymore nearly as much as I think we should. But you can still visit AndreaImmer.com. And make sure you go out and buy her cookbooks. Like Great Tastes Made Simple : Extraordinary Food and Wine Pairing for Every Palate. It's a food/wine pairing bible. Matching charts. Matching philosophies. And matching recipes.

Like this one. I served it at one of my infamous wine dinners with a big, ripe California Chardonnay. Andrea says she developed it for her final project in culinary school. I'm betting she passed.

Sesame and Miso-Glazed Scallops with Coconut Milk-Braised Baby Bok Choy
Makes 6 servings.

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 heads baby bok choy, cleaned and halved lengthwise
1/4 cup canned coconut milk
Salt
30 sea scallops, muscle removed
Freshly ground white pepper
1/2 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
1 cup white miso paste
1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil, for cooking scallops
1 tablespoon toasted pure sesame oil
Garnish:
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
1 sprig fresh cilantro, chopped

For Bok Choy:
In a large, flat-bottomed skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring, until garlic begins to soften, about one minute. Do not allow garlic to color. Raise heat to medium and place baby bok choy cut side down in pan in a single layer.

Allow bok choy to sear slightly, one minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and add coconut milk, seasoning to taste with salt. Allow bok choy to "braise" in the coconut milk until just al dente, about 6 minutes, then remove from heat and keep warm while preparing scallops.

For scallops:
Preheat the broiler. Dry scallops and season lightly on both sides with salt and white pepper. In a small bowl, stir together the mirin and white miso paste. In a small saucepan, heat saké to a simmer; add sugar and stir to dissolve. Combine with miso mixture to form a glaze.

Lightly coat a heavy flat-bottomed skillet with the olive oil and arrange scallops in the pan, being careful not to crowd them. Coat tops of scallops with glaze and place under the preheated broiler for 3 minutes, until the glaze begins to bubble and the scallops are partially cooked through. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully turn scallops glaze-side down in the same pan.

Return the pan to the oven and continue cooking until just cooked through, another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and immediately turn the scallops glaze-side up.

To serve, place two branches (one head) bok choy on plate and sprinkle with sesame oil. Place five scallops glaze-side up alongside the bok choy on each plate. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro and a dollop or two of the miso glaze.