Last weekend, Andrew and I went to visit his brother and sister-in-law for a little mini-vacation. It had been a while since we had gone anywhere, and when the opportunity arose to get out of town for a bit, we jumped at it. We did some skiing and snowboarding–well, I attempted with the snowboard. I was down in the snow more than I was up on the board! Andrew, on the other hand, is an incredible skier–but he was really patient with my foibles and wipe-outs, never leaving me in the dust (or powder!–what they call that soft, powdery snow in the Rocky Mountains), and always encouraging.

I also had the chance to see a little bit of Salt Lake City itself. The scenery around this city is absolutely stunning. Stunning! Surrounded by mountains on all sides looking like they’ve been lightly dusted with powdered sugar this time of year and the city spreads out across the valley.

While there, Alana (Andrew’s sister-in-law) and I teamed up to make dinner one night. She made her famous prosciutto wrapped scallops with apples and sage–it was fantastic! The combination of flavors and textures was flawless–the apples paired with the sage and browned together with the scallops were like magic. And, surprisingly easy to do! On the side, she made some crispy yet tender roasted asparagus and then threw in some tomatoes to roast too. Together we made a basic french bread loaf and a lovely panna cotta with blackberry compote for dessert. I had so much fun! I really love cooking with others, especially people who are just as excited about good food.

Prosciutto wrapped sea scallops 4 servings 12-16 large scallops, washed and dried 8 slices Prosciutto, halved lengthwise 1 bunch fresh sage 1/4 cup butter (60 ml) 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish (30 ml) 2 apples (pink lady, gala, golden delicious), peeled and cored 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (15 ml) Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (5 ml) 1 tablespoon butter (15 ml)

Pat the scallops dry and wrap one half-slice of the prosciutto around the equator of the scallop. You can use toothpicks or kitchen twine. Melt 2 tbsp. of butter and olive oil together in a sauté pan. Bring to a slight smoke.

Toss in the sage leaves and sliced apples wedges into the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Turn up the heat and add the sherry vinegar. Cook until soft and caramelized. Finish the sauce by swirling in butter until just melted. Add lemon juice.

Season the scallops with salt and pepper and place in the pan. Cook for 2 minutes per side, or until golden.

Image by Andrew Owen

Panna Cotta via David Lebovits

4 cups (1l) heavy cream (or half-and-half) 1/2 cup (100g) sugar 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 2 packets powdered gelatin (about 4 1/2 teaspoons) 6 tablespoons (90ml) cold water

Heat the heavy cream and sugar in a saucepan or microwave. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

(If using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds from the bean into the cream and add the bean pod. Cover, and let infuse for 30 minutes. Remove the bean then rewarm the mixture before continuing.)

Lightly oil eight custard cups with a neutral-tasting oil.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a medium-sized bowl and let stand 5 to 10 minutes.

Pour the very warm Panna Cotta mixture over the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

Divide the Panna Cotta mixture into the prepared cups, then chill them until firm, which will take at least two hours but I let them stand at least four hours. (Judy told me American refrigerators are colder than European ones. )

If you’re pressed for time, pour the Panna Cotta mixture into wine goblets so you can serve them in the glasses, without unmolding. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each Panna Cotta and unmold each onto a serving plate, and garnish as desired.

For the blackberry compote: 2/3 bag frozen blackberries thawed or 1 carton fresh blackberries a dash of cinnamon a pinch of nutmeg a splash of vanilla

In a saute pan over medium high heat, combine all the ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up some of the berries for more juice. Heat until about half of the berries are juicy and serve warm over the cooled panna cottas.