Baby scallops au gratin with mushrooms Duxelles is a great dish. The scallops are lightly poached and tossed in a creamy velouté, served over a dry mushroom puree.

Make a mushroom Duxelle: Roughly chop the onion, and clean and quarter the mushrooms. Place onion and mushrooms in a food processor and chop finely. In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add the chopped onion and mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes or until mostly dry.

Make a court bouillon (short stock): Make the "court bouillon" by cooking cold water, white wine, slice celery, salt, and a bay leaf together for 10 minutes. Poach the scallops in simmering "court bouillon" for 2 minutes maximum, and take off of the heat. Put the cooking liquid through a fine strainer and set aside.

Make the sauce: In a separate saucepan, melt butter and add flour. Cook the roux for 2 minutes, and then add ¾ cup of the cooking liquid and ¼ cup of cream. Add liquids to the roux in small quantities to obtain a very smooth sauce. Whisk constantly and add remaining liquid until the desired consistency is reached (the sauce must be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon). Add the strained scallops and mix well. Taste and rectify the seasoning according to your taste.

Finish the scallops gratin: Place the mushroom Duxelle on the bottom of a baking dish, cover with the scallops, and sprinkle a fine layer of the bread crumbs all over. Place under the grill of the oven until golden brown and serve immediately.

History: Duxelles is said to have been created by the 17th-century French chef François Pierre La Varenne (1615-1678) and to have been named after his employer, Nicolas Chalon du Bl‚, marquis d'Uxelles, marchal de France.