TasteBuds is Born

By Jason and Adrienne
Recipe: Seared Scallops with Mango Salsa and Corn Pudding

We throw dozens of dinner parties a year. A lemon rosemary lamb was the centerpiece of a girl’s weekend in the Berkshires, complemented by a Zinfandel. A pork loin with tomatillo with a Tempranillo was among the dishes for a group of fellow foodies. A flourless chocolate cake and port ended an evening graduation celebration. Fresh-made black pepper pasta topped with lamb ragu complemented with Minervois comforted friends on a cold, rainy evening.

To us, recipes are like guidelines, meant to be enhanced by our own tastes, interpretations, and whims. A white wine that doesn’t really pass muster becomes inspiration for a poached scallop dish. A visit to a farmer’s market in the dead of winter sparks the idea for savory root mash served with braised short ribs. We’re most often inspired by local ingredients, what we can find at Chelsea Market, the Brooklyn Farmer’s Market, or whatever gourmet shop we happen upon.

We sometimes mess up royally—chocolate chip cookies accidentally made with salt instead of sugar or an artichoke casseroles a bit too heavy on the cream. But generally, we get compliments from our friends and families, and often the request for the recipes.

That’s why we started tossing around ideas for a food blog, where we could share our creations. We hatched plans over dinners, e-mail, and the occasional late-night text. We knew we’d need to be more disciplined in our cooking; we tend to add a dash of this a handful of that until the flavor meets our liking. Now, we’re putting what’s in our heads on paper, or at least on the Internet.

The naming process probably was the hardest part. So one Friday night in early May, we had a brainstorming session, a night fueled as per usual by food and wine. Not all of our ideas were so great. Pot au Fou was a leading contender, except Adrienne’s not as much of a Francophile as Jason. The randomness of Urban Mango amused Adrienne but not so much Jason.

We finally settled on TasteBuds, the suggestion of our friend Suzanne. It was just corny enough to work for our new adventure. We decided it really fit what we are trying to do, create a place for us to share our meals and other bacchanalian events—much the way we create a dinner party.

With the name determined, we returned to what we do best—eating and drinking. Appetizers and wine were enjoyed al fresco on Jason’s patio. Adrienne poured a red from the Borghese Vineyard on Long Island. It accompanied prosciutto, sopressata, and burrata from Buon Italia. We ate it all up with a chewy potato, onion, dill loaf compliments of Amy’s Bread.

Sadly (and really not all that surprising for us) we stuffed ourselves on starters, leaving little room for what was meant to be the evenings main affair: seared scallops with mango salsa and corn pudding, accompanied by Torrentes, a crisp white from Argentina with peach, pear, honey, and grapefruit notes.

Here’s what we planned to make:

Seared Scallops with Mango Salsa and Corn Pudding


Mango Salsa
2 mangos, chopped to bite-sized pieces (mango should be ripe, but someone firm)
Half of a red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (ribs and seeds removed)
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Kosher Salt

Place all ingredients except for salt in a mixing bowl and toss until well combined. Season with salt to taste and set aside.

Corn Pudding
Half a bag of frozen corn
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 cup whole milk (room temperature)
4 oz. goat cheese
Kosher Salt
Fresh Pepper
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is warming, thaw the frozen corn in a colander and toss with salt and drain well (about 10 minutes). Spread the corn on a baking sheet and bake on the middle rack for 10-15 minutes until the corn is bright yellow, but not brown. Remove from the oven and move the corn to a large mixing bowl.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat and whisk in the flour. Wisk for 2-3 minutes until it becomes a paste. Lower the heat to low-medium/medium and continue to for 3 minutes, whisking occasionally. Wisk in heavy cream – the mixture will thicken very quickly. Melt in the goat cheese and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Combine the cream/cheese sauce and the corn in the mixing bowl. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until thick. I prefer to keep the mixture chunky, with visible corn kernels.

Scallops
1lb Jumbo Sea Scallops (typically 8-10 per pound)
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Fresh Pepper

Remove the extra white muscle from any of the scallops that still have it attached. Pat all of the scallops dry with a clean kitchen towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the scallops when the oil is hot. The scallops should have enough room so that they are not touching each other. Flip the scallops when they begin to brown (about 2-3 minutes, depending on their size). Cook for another 2 minutes and remove from the pan. Scallops and other seafood continue to cook after they have been removed from heat, so cooking all the way through on the heat will result in an overcooked, rubbery scallop.

Serve scallops over the corn pudding and topped with mango salsa.