I’ve been really busy at the restaurant for the past couple of days because we changed our menu on Monday.  We change our menu seasonally (every three months or less) so that we can offer the freshest ingredients to our customers as well as save on food costs.  This is a very exciting time for me because I get to work with new ingredients and learn new “set combinations”  (how the new menu items are cooked and plated).  But it can also be very hectic, especially when the restaurant is busy because it takes a couple of days to get your timing down with the new dishes.   All of this has resulted in me not having the opportunity to create new specials; but I have a few specials in the works so stay tuned… 

So, even though I created this special in early September when the corn was still sweet and tender, you can achieve the same results with this dish by substituting the corn with autumn vegetables such as butternut or pumpkin squash.  And instead of using a Chipotle Glaze you could make a Pear or Fig Glaze and use a Pancetta Vinaigrette and Chive Oil.  Anyway, the dish that I created was Pan-Seared Scallops with Creamy Corn Cakes, Chipotle Honey Glaze, Pea Sprout Salad dressed with Kaffir Lime Vinaigrette and Cilantro Oil. 

To make the corn cakes, remove the kernels from the cob and pulse in a robot coup or food processor until the consistency of oatmeal.  Add the fresh corn, finely diced onion and garlic to a pan and sauté until vegetables are tender.  Add chopped thyme, tarragon and deglaze with a small amount of white wine.  Reduce and then add heavy cream and a small amount of goat cheese.  Reduce mixture until thick and season with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat, cool, add egg yolks and chill. Once chilled (should be a thick consistency) scoop mixture with a small ice-cream scoop into a ball and dip in egg wash, then seasoned panko crumbs and then form into a round disk with small cookie cutter.  Place on parchment paper and chill until ready to fry.

For the Chipotle glaze, take several cups of orange juice and a couple tablespoons of Chipotle Adobo sauce and reduce slowly until it coats the back of a spoon.  Add a small amount of honey and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Set sauce aside.  To make the cilantro oil, add a small bunch of cilantro (cut off thick stems), to a blender and add canola oil until emulsified.  Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste and pour into a squeeze bottle and set aside for plating.

Deep-fry the corn cakes until crisp and golden for approximately two minutes.  You can also pan-sear the cakes and finish in the oven, but deep frying them gives them a more even appearance and texture (crisp and golden on the outside and creamy on the inside).

Enjoy!