It's Not Rott'n, its Gra-tin!

As a kid, when I heard "gratin" it was usually in reference to those cheesy potato slices baked in a dish. As I called them 'potatoes ahg-rotten" and still can vividly remember being forced to sit at the table well past dinner one night until I at them all. My dad had a pretty stubborn streak and I don't think I fell far from the tree. I was told that they would be my dinner the next morning, but he didn't follow through (whew!).

As an adult, I am not sure why I was so put off by the dish and now love anything with a slathering of cheese.

When I started cooking, I discovered that food didn't need to come in a box! You could make your very own potato gratin and leave out all the additives that Betty Crocker piles in! I also learned that Gratin is not limited to potatoes! In fact, gratin is from the French language in which the word "gratter" meaning to "to scrape" as of the "scrapings" of bread or cheese, and gratiné, from the transitive verb form of the word for crust

Seafood isn't the most popular dish in our home. My daughter has only now started to eat some types of fish and lobster and my stepson isn't fond of it either. That leaves me and the Mr. Growing up, we were raised much the same. Deli meat came from an Oscar Meyer pack and seafood came from Gorton's or Mrs. Smith's. Just a fact. One night, when we were kid less, I decided to make a romantic dish that was out of the norm and came across this Scallops Gratin dish. The original calls for Bay Scallops, but we both prefer the larger sea scallops and I threw in large(21-30/pound) shrimp for variety.

This was a HUGE hit. My husband loved it and despite it swimming in butter, didn't feel like a heavy dish. I don't own a true "gratin dish" which is nothing more than a very shallow baking dish that allows the dish to cook and create that nice crust on top. I used an antique Fire King baking dish that is 8x4x1 but you really can use any oven proof dish. Just make sure to only put one layer so every shrimp and scallop get a coating of crust. I also prefer to use the Japanese panko flakes. They are japanese bread crumbs and I think they hold their texture better than regular bread crumbs. If you can't find them..regular bread crumbs will do!

Shrimp and Scallops Gratin

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 large garlic cloves, minced
2 medium shallots, minced
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto di Parma, minced
4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 cup panko flakes
6 tablespoons dry white wine
1 pound scallops (if you can get "dry", they have more flavor)
1 pound large shrimp
Lemon, for garnish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

To make the topping, place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can also use a hand mixer). With the mixer on low speed, add the garlic, shallot, prosciutto, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and mix until combined. With the mixer still on low, add the olive oil slowly to make an emulsion, until combined. Fold the panko in with a rubber spatula and set aside.

Preheat the broiler, if it's separate from your oven.

Place wine in the bottom of baking dish. Remove the white muscle and membrane from the side of each scallop ( they pull off pretty easy) and discard. Clean and de-vein the shrimp and remove the tail. Pat the scallops and shrimp dry with paper towels and distribute in a single layer. Spoon the garlic butter mixture evenly over the top of the. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the topping is golden and sizzling and the scallops are barely done. If you want the top crustier, place the dishes under the broiler for 2 minutes, until browned. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of chopped parsley and serve immediately.