This is a fancy restaurant dish, something that an upscale place
might charge you thirty dollars to eat. But let me tell you a secret:
when you break it down into components, this is pretty easy to
cook at home. If you make the parsnip puree ahead and make the
beurre blanc ahead, too, all you have to do is quickly sauté some
mustard greens and sear the scallops. Look for scallops labeled as
“dry” scallops (the other kind, which are treated with sodium
tripolyphosphate and are usually sitting in liquid, won’t brown up
as well).FOR THE PARSNIP PUREE
4 medium parsnips, peeled, cored*, and roughly chopped
⅔ cup milk
½ cup heavy cream
SaltFOR THE BEURRE BLANC
¼ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup dry white wine
1 shallot, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
A few sprigs of thyme
4 tablespoons (½ stick) very cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 tablespoon chopped parsley