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Pan Seared Scallops, Peas, and Pappardelle in Cream Sauce

• About ½ of an 8.8-Ounce package of Gia Russa dried egg Pappardelle


• 1 cup heavy cream


• ½ cup dry white wine


• 1 cup frozen petite peas


• salt and freshly ground white pepper


• pinch allspice


• pinch nutmeg


• pinch ground red pepper


• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese


• ½ cup crème fraîche


• 8 large scallops, with the small muscle removed from the side of any scallop that has one, rinsed and patted dry


• salt and freshly ground white pepper


• pinch Cajun spice
• 1 tsp. canola oil
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsps. chopped fresh chives

Prepare Pappardelle per package directions, leaning on the al dente side, drain, and set aside. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Season scallops with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.

Combine cream, white wine, and peas in a large saute pan or skillet. Bring to a boil and reduce immediately to a low simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook 8 minutes. Add spices, cheese, and crème fraîche. Mix well. If the sauce has gotten too thick for your liking, cut it with some of the reserved pasta water. Add the pasta to the pan, mix well, and plate.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add canola oil and butter. As soon as the butter stops foaming, add scallops. Saute 3 minutes, turning once. You want a serious brown (but not black) crust on each side of the scallops, while the interior should still be pretty rare. Do not overcook! Nestle scallops into pasta and top with chives. Serve immediately.

Serves 2 people as a main dish or 4 as an appetizer.

There are several wine options. My preference is a crisp, unoaked white wine, such as the Magito Sauvignon Blanc that I in fact used this time. I want contrast with this meal. The crisp acidity of the Magito cut the richness of the pasta, refreshing the palate. At the same time, however, you don’t want a wine so light in body that it gets washed out by the food. Most cheap Italian Pinot Grigio, for example, would not work.

Alternatively, you could go with a buttery California or Australian Chardonnay, so long as it was not reeking of oak, so as to put a rich wine up against a rich sauce. Instead of contrast, you’d be going for complementary textures and flavors.

An interesting third option would be a slightly sweet, slightly sparkling wine. A full-throated méthode champenoise would not be my first choice. The high acidity and vigorous bubbles would create too much contrast. Instead, I’d choose something like Schramsberg’s Crémant (I reviewed the 2001 vintage here). The well-balanced acidity and sweetness will provide both complement and contrast with the rich sauce, while the mild effervescence will cut the cream sauce just enough to be refreshing rather than cloying.