Scallop cakes and clementine beets in process

/

This is going to be a good dinner. For the scallop cakes, I processed scallops with ample amounts of ginger, garlic, scallions, fish sauce and so forth and they are now frying. The beets are supposed to be in a lime cream sauce but the one item I forgot at the market today was limes. So, clementine cream sauce- yum. Beets and oranges are a good blend. And look how pretty these chioggias are.

Effective new tactic with husband, caramel apple pie, breadcrumbs

/

I tried something new today: called T and told him very sweetly that I would be leaving town on 12/9 and returning 12/11. I said that I'd love for him to come with me but if he plans to, he must secure childcare for the boys. He said it sounded like a good plan. People, AMAZING!! So exciting!! Perhaps you want to try this tack too? I've got an apple pie in the oven that looks fabulous: a layer of apples tossed with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, sugar, lemon juice and zest. Then a nice drizzle of that caramel from Monday. More apples, a bit more caramel, crust. Yo!

Also, I made the breadcrumbs and they are so pretty. One thing I like about fresh breadcrumbs beyond the freshness and ease is their lack of uniformity. Each crumb is small, yes; but there is some variation in smallness, and I like that textural addition to their flavor. If your baguette or bread slices are not yet totally hard, you can toast them in a low-heat oven (300) until dry, let them cool and then food process. Just remember to remove the crusts before doing all this.