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IN THE CHEF’S KITCHEN
photos by Kathy Keeney
IN A JAM: Chef Adams’ sweet summer tomato jam is delicious whether it’s under charred scallops or served cold on sandwiches.
I have been eagerly waiting to hear from a female chef to participate in this column, but so far none have come forward on their own. It could be because the ratio of women to men in restaurant kitchens is still incredibly lopsided, or that my writing sucks to the point that I have scared them all off.
Anyhoo, I couldn’t wait any longer, so I set about recruiting the most talented female chef I know, Meredith Adams, Executive Chef of Eurasia Café & Wine Bar in Virginia Beach.
Chef Adams began her restaurant career waiting tables and bartending, but finding herself more and more drawn to food preparation, traded in the (generally more lucrative) front-of-the-house work for the kitchen.
"Being a chef is a tough and sometimes thankless career," says Chef Adams, "but I love tempting taste buds!"
After having had my taste buds tempted by Chef Adams’ cuisine on more than one occasion, I’m very glad she made the move to the back of the house. Let’s all hope she stays there.
CHEF MEREDITH ADAMS’ CHARRED SCALLOPS WITH SWEET SUMMER TOMATO JAM
Chef Adams serves her scallops over a mound of goat cheese-infused mashed potatoes, a circle of tomato jam, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar reduction. A handful of baby arugula (tossed with red wine vinaigrette) tops it all off gloriously.
SWEET SUMMER TOMATO JAM
Make this jam. Do you hear me? Make this jam! Chef Adams served it warm with the scallops and mashed potatoes. Leftover refrigerated jam is delicious on a cold sandwich, hot panini, broiled crostini, or as a garnish to a caprese salad.
Ingredients:
½ large sweet yellow onion, *grilled and diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
2-3 pounds **coarsely chopped ripe summer tomatoes
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ large lemon
1 bay leaf (fresh or dried)
½ cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
Additional salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
*Chef Adams grills thick slices of onions, but if you do not have access to a grill, chop the onion into ¼-inch dice and cook in 1 tablespoon of olive oil (with the minced garlic) over medium-low heat just until softened and translucent.
**Chef Adams cored the tomatoes but did not remove the skin and seeds. Coarsely chop the tomatoes into ½-inch dice. After coring and chopping the tomatoes, you should have about 4 cups (1# 5 ounces) chopped tomatoes.
Method:
Combine the onion, garlic, chopped tomatoes, sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a non-reactive (stainless steel, not aluminum) saucepan.
Place the lemon half and bay leaf in a small square of cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine; add to the saucepan. Note: If you do not have cheesecloth, use a microplane grater and grate the yellow zest of the lemon half directly onto the tomatoes. Add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and the bay leaf to the saucepan.
Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the tomatoes release their juices and mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid evaporates and the mixture thickens, about 18-20 minutes. If using the cheesecloth-tied lemon and bay leaf, remove and squeeze the lemon half (still in the cheesecloth) to release juice into the jam. If not using the cheesecloth bundle, remove and discard the bay leaf.
Cut the basil into chiffonade and add to the jam. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Cool the jam to room temperature, transfer to a covered container, and refrigerate up to 1 week. Gently reheat in a microwave oven.
PAN-SEARED SCALLOPS
Chef Adams has a wonderful grill at her disposal in Eurasia’s small but well designed kitchen, and used it to grill her scallops. I have included directions for pan-searing scallops for those of us not so fortunate.
Ingredients:
12 very large (U/10) *dry-packed scallops
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
*Scallops are often soaked in a phosphate solution that whitens them and makes them absorb more liquid, increasing their weight by as much as 30 percent. When you cook these scallops, all that extra liquid drains out and into the pan, so instead of searing them you end up steaming them in something closely resembling soapy water. To avoid that, look for scallops labeled "chemical free" or "dry packed." Chef Adams serves 4 to 5 scallops per person, but I feel that with this size scallop (U/10 means it will take under 10 scallops to equal a pound) three scallops per portion is fine. If you buy a smaller size, increase the amount of scallops proportionately.
Method:
Pat scallops dry with paper towels, then sprinkle both sides lightly with salt and pepper.
Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add the butter and oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Swirl pan to distribute butter and oil evenly.
Add scallops to the pan, making sure that the scallops do not touch one another. Once you’ve placed the scallops in the pan, don’t touch them! If you give in to the temptation to move the scallops around in the pan, you’ll prevent a nice brown crust from forming. After 3-4 minutes, peek underneath. If you see a caramel-colored crust on the underside, they’re ready to flip. Cook other side 2-3 minutes, until almost opaque but still slightly translucent in the center. Plate immediately with the beautiful crust facing up.
Serves 4
Eurasia Café & Wine Bar is located at 960 Laskin Road (adjacent to PJ Baggins) in Virginia Beach. Phone: 422-0184. Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday brunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wine dinners are held the last Monday of each month. Online: www.eurasiavb.com
SHOUT OUT TO ALL CHEFS IN THE SEVEN CITIES
Do you have a dish you’d like to share with PFW readers? If so, contact me at Ponderlake@aol.com and let me hang out in your kitchen for an hour or two.
—CW | 
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