To craft these elegant puff pastry shells, start by rinsing and drying the empty scallop shells provided by your fishmonger for an authentic presentation.
Preheat the oven to 240°C (th-8).
Roll out the puff pastry to 1/2 cm thick. Position a flat shell on the dough and cut out twelve circles slightly larger than the shells.
Arrange six hollow shells dome-side up on a baking sheet. Drape each with a pastry circle, then brush with egg yolk mixed with a tablespoon of water. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rest for 5 minutes, and gently unmold the crisp shells.
Clean, wash, and thinly slice the leeks. In a sauté pan, melt the butter, add the leeks, season with salt, stir, cover, and cook over low heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Rinse, pat dry, and halve the scallops lengthwise. Season with salt and pepper.
Brush the truffle under running water and slice into thin shavings.
Pour the cream over the leeks, stir, and simmer for 2 minutes over high heat. Add the scallops and cook for another 2 minutes, turning once.
On serving plates, place the pastry shells. Fill with scallops, leeks, sauce, a sprinkle of Avruga pearls, and truffle shavings. Top with the pastry lids and garnish with celery leaves or parsley if desired. Serve immediately.
Avruga pearls, mimicking herring roe, are actually smoked herring beads, often tinted with squid ink—a flavorful, affordable caviar alternative made from pulverized herring, not true fish eggs. Find them jarred in specialty stores. As a chef, I appreciate their taste and striking presentation, though they don't rival premium Osetra caviar.
