Monday Scallops

My nephew James just turned three. When I called my sister to wish him a happy birthday, he hollered, "THANK YOU TANTE SARAH, THANK YOU UNCLE STEVE," acknowledging the awesomeness of our present. We gave him a pickup truck that transforms into a Tyrannosaurus Rex as well as a turquoise coupe that transforms into a shark (or a lizard?). Toys that transform into other toys are huge among three year olds, I'm told.

When James was born, my sister and brother-in-law lived in Durham, North Carolina. Steve and I went to visit the new family about ten days after James' birth. His tiny fingers, wrapping around mine for the first time, made me weepy. That is my favorite memory of that trip.

My second favorite memory of that trip was our breakfast at Foster's Market. Foster's Market is a purveyor of all things wonderful and out-of-this-world. Opened by Sara Foster in 1990, it's one of my happy places. The Market lives in a rambling building surrounded by sunny picnic tables on one side and a shady, vine-covered loggia on the other. Inside are bins overflowing with goodies and comfy chairs and sofas. Stacked on a wooden counter in the middle of the store are golden lemon bars, brownies, fudge-y cakes, and other proof of heaven. I could move in tomorrow.

And I have James to thank for introducing me to this wonderful place. Thank you for being born in Durham, James! Enjoy the Tyrannosaurus Rex pickup truck.

Foster's Market Crunchy Corn Relish with Scallops
Adapted from Sara Foster's The Foster's Market Cookbook, Favorite Recipes for Morning, Noon, and Night, available at www.fostersmarket.com.

Kernels from 4 ears fresh corn (2 cups fresh or frozen corn)
½ red onion, diced
¼ cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon peeled, julienned fresh ginger
3 tablespoons fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried thyme
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon pink peppercorns
2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
1 tablespoon sugar
2 bay leaves
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
7 scallions, trimmed and cut into thinly sliced rounds
6 fresh basil leaves, cut into very thin strips (chiffonade)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 large, fresh scallop

For the Crunchy Corn Relish
Place the corn, onion, wine, vinegar, ginger, thyme, garlic, peppercorns, coriander, sugar and bay leaves in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir and cook about 10 minutes, until the seasonings are incorporated. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine the green bell pepper, red bell pepper, scallions, and basil in a large bowl and stir to mix. Add the corn mixture to the pepper mixture and stir to mix. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use. Discard the bay leaves before serving.

For the Scallops
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallops and allow them to cook on one side for 2-3 minutes until lightly caramelized.

Turn the scallops over and cook on the opposite side for 2-3 until the scallop is opaque in the middle. Serve immediately over the crunchy corn relish.

Serves: 2