Coquilles St Jacques a la Parisienne

This classic scallop appetizer is such a nice treat!  There are many variations of this recipe.  This Paris styled Coquille St Jacques is how I pesented this dish while cooking in a Yacht Club several years ago.  The dutchess potatoes add such a nice touch!
     Duchess Potato Recipe:  Boil a peeled large (6-8 oz) russet potato till it becomes soft. 
     Drain off the water. 
     Add a little bit of warm cream. 
     Thoroughly mash the potato till it is creamed. 
     Add sea salt and white pepper. 
     Mix one egg yoke with a half of a pinch of turmeric. 
     Thouroghly mix the egg yoke into the creme potato. 
     Place the dutchess potato mixture into a star tipped pastry bag. 
     Refrigerate the potato for 10 minutes to stiffen the mixture. 
     Pipe mini star swirls of dutchess potato around the edge of a shallow casserole dish or a large sea scallop shell. 
     Bake the dutchess potato ringed casserole dish in a 400 degree oven till the the potatoes are firm and the highlights on the potatoes just barely start to caramelize. 
     Remove the casserole dish from the oven and set it aside.
     Coquille St Jacques a la Parisienne Recipe:  Saute a small minced shallot and 2 thin sliced mushrooms in butter over medium heat. 
     When the mushrooms are cooked soft, add a generous pour of dry vermouth. 
     Add sea salt, white pepper, a pinch of thyme and a pinch of saffron.
     Add a little bit of cream. 
     Stir in just a small amount of blonde roux as the sauce simmers to thicken the sauce to a medium consistency. 
     Add some scallops to the sauce. 
     Only cook the scallops half way. 
     Remove the half cooked scallops from the sauce. 
     Spoon the sauce into the middle of the ring of dutchess potatoes on the casserole plate.  (The sauce can be strained or used as is with the mushroom slices.) 
     Set the scallops on top of the sauce in the casserole dish. 
     Drizzle the remaining sauce over the scallops. 
     Set the casserole dish under a broiler. 
     When the scallops and dutchess potatoes become lightly browned on the highlights, remove the coquille from the oven. 
     Set the casserole dish on a serving plate. 
     Garnish with very thin julienne carrot and a parsley sprig.
     Deliciously elegant!  The flavors of this great classic scallop dish are so savory.  Yum!  Shawna