Scallops with charred cauliflower puree with parsnip and asparagus

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 1 cauliflower
• 1 bunch of green asparagus
• 2 small parsnips
• 1 lemon(s)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 9 scallop(s)
• some blueberries
• some milk and cream in equal parts
• e.g. olive oil
• some butter
• some rapeseed oil or peanut oil
• some sea salt, coarse
• some Szechuan pepper
• nutmeg

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 5 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 35 minutes

Boil the cauliflower in salted water (a high salt dosage – it should taste like seawater!) for about 10 minutes. Then let it cool and rub it with plenty of olive oil. Place it in the oven at 180–200°C (top/bottom heat) for about 40–50 minutes (it should turn dark brown all over). Meanwhile, heat a little milk and cream in equal parts with 3 crushed garlic cloves. Grate the zest of the lemon and juice the lemon. Press the cauliflower through a potato ricer into the warm garlic milk and season with salt, nutmeg, and finally (more) lemon juice. The lemon juice will significantly alter the flavor – depending on your taste. Tips: You can also blend the mixture again for consistency – but do this before seasoning – this will make the mixture a little smoother. To achieve the right consistency, the amount of milk and cream is important. I always add a little more milk and cream to this, but don’t press the cauliflower into the entire amount of milk and cream, just a portion, and add a little more later if necessary. If it’s too runny, you can also reduce the mixture a little more on the stovetop. Peel the bottom of the asparagus and trim the tips. Peel the asparagus and parsnips lengthwise into thin slices using an asparagus peeler. Melt a little butter in a pan, then briefly fry the asparagus (with the heads) and parsnips, add a little salt, and toss briefly. Add a little (!) water and cook briefly until al dente. Briefly boil blueberries (you can also use frozen ones, just thaw them a little first) in boiling water and white wine vinegar (equal parts). Heat the pan very hot (until it smokes). Brush the scallops on both sides with a little rapeseed or peanut oil and place them in the very hot pan. Turn over after 1 minute and brown the other side as well. Finally, add a little butter and some of the lemon zest to the oil and toss briefly. The scallops should still be translucent on the inside, but can be very brown on the outside. Alternatively, you can scallop them with a household gas torch until the desired degree of browning is achieved. Place the cauliflower purée on the warmed plate. Arrange the vegetables nicely on top of the purée and scatter the blueberries on top. Place the scallops on top and sprinkle some coarse sea salt, lemon zest, and, if desired, a little Szechuan peppercorns on top.