Filet Bean and Scallop Salad

From the July 31, 2010 show.

Excerpted with permission from Daring Pairings: A Master Sommelier Matches Distinctive Wines with Recipes from His Favorite Chefs by Evan Goldstein. © 2010, University of California Press.

Serves 4

• 1 pound nickel filet beans or other small, slender green beans, stem ends trimmed
• 2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped shallots
• Few drops of honey
• 1 tablespoon hazelnut oil
• 2 tablespoons grape seed oil salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Ω cup hazelnuts
• 8 sea scallops (about 1 pound total weight), preferably diver Fresh chervil sprigs for garnish

Bring a saucepan filled with salted water to a boil. Add the beans and boil until tender-crisp, about 30 seconds. Drain and immediately plunge into ice water to halt the cooking. Drain well, transfer to a bowl, and set aside.

To make a vinaigrette, in a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and shallots. Whisk in the honey, then slowly drizzle in the hazelnut oil and 1 tablespoon of the grape seed oil while whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a small, dry sautÈ pan, toast the hazelnuts over low heat, shaking the pan often, just until golden and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour onto a cutting board, let cool, then coarsely chop. Set aside.

In a cast-iron skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon grape seed oil over medium heat until hot. Pat the scallops dry on paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Add the scallops to the hot pan and cook, turning once, until seared on both sides and barely translucent at the center when tested with a knife tip, about 2 minutes on each side.

Place 2 scallops on each warmed plate. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the beans and toss to coat, then scatter the beans randomly over the scallops. Garnish with the hazelnuts and chervil and serve at once.

Chef's note (Anne S. Quatrano): The buttery scallops play off the richness of the Assyrtiko wine, and toasted hazelnuts are the perfect complement to the wine's residual nutty characteristics. The forward acid of the wine plays nicely with the Champagne vinegar in the vinaigrette, and the mineral finish of the wine adds another dimension to the natural brine of the scallops. The wine and the dish will enliven and brighten each other, complementing rather than contrasting flavors.

Pairing note (Evan Goldstein): I love Anne and her food. She hasn't locked herself into one specific cooking style, and she al- ways lets the ingredients determine what she does. Knowing Assyrtiko's affinity with salads, I felt that pairing this wine with Anne's food would be a success. The resulting warm salad proved me right! Given the richness of the scallops and the natural sweetness of the beans (also known as haricots verts or baby green beans), this dish can handle one of the barrel-aged styles, though it pairs splendidly with any version of dry Assyrtiko, from the pure, zippy stuff to the wines blended with Sauvignon Blanc. The dressing, which is not too sharp, is quite wine-friendly, and the nuts lend texture and a toasty note (which can work with an oak-aged style). The chervil is a lovely bridge element. Both the wine and the dish have long, clean finishes, making you long for more of each!

Recommended Wines/Producers

Everyday
• atlantis santorini, greece [d]
• Biblia Chora Pangeon, greece [d]
• Boutari santorini, greece [d]
• domaine Constantin lazaridi santorini, greece [d]
• domaine evharis santorini, greece [d]
• Pape Johannou nemea, greece [d]

Premium
• argyros estate santorini, greece [v]
• gaia estate santorini, greece [d]
• santo santorini, greece [d]
• sigalas santorini, greece [d]
• spyros Hatziyiannis santorini, greece [d]
• vatistas santorini, greece [v]

d = dry v = vinsanto