Screw this up by 30 seconds and you’ve got rubber. Nail it and you understand French technique forever.

Coquilles St Jacques carries the perfume of mid-century French dining rooms, heavy drapes, polished silver and the clink of stemware setting the stage for something celebratory. Sweet scallops, meaty savory mushrooms, cream, butter and wine reduced with care, finished under the broiler until bubbling and browned. It is comfort and elegance in equal measure.

This is the dish that teaches restraint, sauce work and scallop timing. Watchfulness is the virtue here.

If you want to cook it the way I do, reach for a good carbon steel pan and a sharp @shuncutlery knife. It makes the work cleaner and the timing easier.

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Cook it, honor it and let me know what you think after you try it.