Recipe by Lynfred Brand Ambassador, Laura Lorenz
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients
2 lb. butternut squash*
1 lb. sea scallops* (set at room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking)
1 tsp garam masala
1 cup Moroccan couscous
4 slices of thick-cut bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces (applewood smoked preferred)
1 ½ Tbsp chives, minced
3 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, minced
½ cup Honeycrisp apple (peeled and diced small)
½ cup golden raisins
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp+1 tsp+2 tbsp+1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tbsp+3 tbsp salted butter, divided
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Take the butternut squash and cut off both ends, then slice it in half (lengthwise) and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle each half with 1 tsp of olive oil and ½ tsp of kosher salt. Lay the squash on the baking sheet (cut side down). Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the squash is very soft when poked with a fork.

While the squash is cooking prepare the couscous salad. Bring (1 cup+2 Tbsp)* of water to a rapid boil in a small saucepan. Add 1 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt to the water. Next, stir in the couscous and the raisins, cover, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

Once the couscous is cooked, add it to a large bowl and fluff it with a fork. Then stir in the bacon, chives, parsley, apples, lemon juice, 2 tbsp of olive oil, and salt to taste. Set it aside. Once your squash is done cooking, scoop the flesh into a blender along with 2 tbsp of butter and 1 tsp of garam masala. Blend the mixture until smooth (remember when blending hot items to be careful). Once the squash is smooth and creamy, salt to taste and set aside. Now it’s time to cook the scallops.

First, dry the scallops with a paper towel (dry scallops will develop a nicer brown crust). Then season each scallop lightly with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. The other trick to a perfect scallop is the pan used; in my opinion cast iron is the best. Get the pan screaming hot and add 3 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil*. Melt the butter and oil together and swirl to coat the bottom of your pan. Once the butter starts to bubble and slightly turns brown, you are ready to add the scallops. Cook scallops for 3 minutes on the first side without touching them, flip, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes (when cooking, make sure not to crowd the pan).* Set on a paper towel to drain once cooked.

Assembly- On each plate place roughly 3 tbsp of the purée, top with the salad and nestle 3-4 scallops on top. Finally, take a little of the browned butter from the scallops cooking pan and drizzle right on top. Enjoy!

TIPS
*I know it can be difficult to find an exact 2lb squash. No biggie, just adjust the cooking time accordingly
and the seasoning for the purée. If you have leftovers, this can make a great soup base too!
*1lb of sea scallops gives you roughly 12-16 scallops.
*The 1 cup +2 tbsp of water is an odd measurement but is there because the raisins are rehydrating in
the water (which means they will soak up a little)
*I have a large cast iron pan (which means fewer batches of scallops) so I wasn’t too worried about my oil starting to burn. If you are at all concerned just sub in oil with a higher smoke point such as avocado
Oil.
*Cooking time can vary slightly depending on the size of the scallops. A test scallop is always a safe bet, plus, a great snack for the chef!