Scallops are naturally sweet, and the radicchio provides the ideal contrast. Err on the side of caution with the lemon juice–remember you have the juices from the grapefruit segments, too.
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).
Melt butter in frying pan on medium heat. Add radicchio and cook for about 3 minutes, or until wilted. Add grapefruit and warm for 30 seconds on each side. Add lemon juice and parsley. Remove from stove.
Season scallops with salt and freshly ground white pepper. Heat oil in ovenproof frying pan on high heat. Add scallops and sear on one side for about 2 minutes or until dark golden brown. Turn scallops over, place pan in oven, and cook for 2 minutes or until doneu2013medium-rare (scallops still give a little when squeezed between finger and thumb).
Divide radicchio-grapefruit mixture among six warmed plates. Top each serving with a scallop.
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.