The weather has been really beautiful, sunny and warm in the Bay Area the past couple of days and so I wanted to make a dish that was light, but full of robust flavors. So I decided to make Pan-Seared Sea Scallops, served on a bed of Blue Lake and Yellow Wax Beans, Herb-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Toy-Box Tomatoes, dressed in a Charred-Tomato, Basil and Applewood Smoked Bacon Vinaigrette. Potatoes, Tomatoes and Bacon are a perfect match for the sweet scallops and the beans provide great color and a nice crisp texture.

To make the vinaigrette, small dice applewood smoked bacon and cook slowly rendering fat until bacon is crispy. Pour off some of the fat and reserve for later use. Then deglaze the pan with Pale Dry Sherry and a good quality Aged Sherry Vinegar. Reduce almost to a syrup and pour bacon and syrup into a bowl. Add salt, pepper, a small amount of sugar, and minced basil, stir and set aside. Meanwhile, take the same pan that you cooked the bacon in and add the reserved bacon fat. Heat the pan until it’s hot and then add sliced cherry tomatoes and cook for about two minutes until tomatoes are charred but still hold their shape. Add tomatoes to the bacon mixture, along with additional Sherry Vinegar. Stir in canola oil (don’t whisk—you don’t want to break up the tomatoes) into the mixture until you have a nice consistency. Taste and add additional salt, vinegar or oil, if necessary. Serve vinaigrette at room temperature.

Enjoy!