A highly successful dinner-party starter — not the cheapest of dishes, but quite easy to do and very tasty. You can prepare everything in advance, and then the shells only need 20 minutes in the oven. Serves 6.
300 g puff pastry
12 scallops (you will need 6 of the shells too)
2 small leeks
a walnut-sized piece of fresh ginger
soy sauce
60 g salted French butter
pepper
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp milk
Remove the scallops from the shells and thoroughly scrub 6 of the rounded shells (I also boil them to make sure they are really clean).
Cut the white parts of the leeks into diagonal slices and cook in a shallow pan with a small glass of salted water until they are tender and the water has evaporated.
Melt 40 g of butter in a frying pan and fry the scallops over a high heat, 2 minutes on each side. If you burn the butter during this operation you will need to discard it. Add the leeks, the finely chopped ginger, a trickle of soy sauce, pepper, and the remaining butter. Stir together and then set aside to cool.
Roll out the pastry and cut out lids for the six shells. Divide the leeks and scallops between the shells, dampen the edges, and then cover each one with a pastry lid, thoroughly sealing the edges. Set aside in the fridge till ready to cook.
Preheat the oven to gas 7 (210C), put the shells on a baking tray, and brush with the beaten egg and milk. Bake for 20 minutes, till the pastry is golden, and serve immediately.