Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb large scallops (4-6 pp)
1 fennel bulb, sliced thin and cut crosswise in half (strips)
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
juice of two navel oranges
zest of one orange
1/4 cup Pernod liquor
1 tablespoon tarragon wine vinegar
1/4 cup 35% cream
salt and freshly ground pepper
Preparation
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In medium-sized saute skillet, over medium heat, saute fennel in 1 teaspoon of the butter until golden. Set aside in warm oven. Add 1 teaspoon butter and olive oil and saute the scallops until golden, turning to cook both sides. Remove scallops when they begin to turn opaque - do not overcook. Place them in a bowl and keep warm with the fennel in the oven.
Sauce: In the saute pan, saute garlic in 1 teaspoon butter until soft. Add juice of oranges, Pernod, and vinegar and bring to a boil. Cook until sauce starts to thicken. Stir in orange zest. Whisk in the cream in a slow stream until incorporated. Remove scallops from oven and add the liquid from the scallops to the sauce. Continue to boil for another 2-3 minutes until sauce reaches a thick syrupy consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
Arrange fennel and scallops on individual warmed plates and pour sauce over each. Serve immediately.
