Name: Ginger Butter Sauce
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves 4 (Makes about 3/4 cup)
Ingredients: 1/2 cup dry white wine; 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger; 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon); 1 small shallot, minced (about 1 1/2 tablespoons); 1/4 cup heavy cream; 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 12 equal pieces; 1/2 teaspoon table salt; Pinch cayenne pepper

Why This Recipe Works

To devise a pan-seared scallop recipe with a great crust, we seared the scallops in oil, then basted them in butter. Waiting to add the butter ensured that it had enough time to work its browning magic on the scallops, but not enough time to burn. When using scallops treated with sodium tripolyphosphate (a common preservative), we eliminated the chemical flavor in our seared scallop recipe by briefly brining the shellfish in a solution of water, lemon juice, and salt.

Instructions

Combine wine, vinegar, ginger, garlic, and shallot in small saucepan; bring to boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium-high and simmer until mixture is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add cream and continue to simmer until mixture is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl; wipe out saucepan. Return mixture to saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk in 2 pieces of butter until melted. Continue adding butter, 2 pieces at a time, until all butter has been incorporated, waiting until previous 2 pieces are fully incorporated before adding more. Stir in salt and cayenne; cover and keep warm.