Scallops with Soy-Cumin Sauce and Wild Mushroom Rice

1 cup whipping cream

¼ pound butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cups water

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups brown rice

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 carrot, diced

6 ounces each of portobella, oyster and shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

Olive oil

Salt, pepper to taste

2 pounds sea scallops

For the sauce: Add cream, butter, soy sauce and cumin to a shallow pan, bring to boil and simmer 30 minutes to reduce sauce to 1 cup.

For the rice: Bring water and chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the brown rice with peppers and carrots. Cover and boil about 10 minutes or until the rice begins to soften. Remove from the burner and set aside.

Place the mushrooms in a shallow frying pan with the olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Saute about 5 minutes; remove from the pan and set aside.

For the scallops: Add a small amount of butter or oil if needed to the mushroom frying pan. Place on a burner over medium-high heat and add in the scallops one by one. After 2 minutes flip over scallops to other side and turn off heat. The scallops will continue to cook. Be careful to plate immediately in order not to overcook the scallops.

On each of 4 plates, put one large scoop of rice, one smaller scoop of wild mushrooms, and scallops. Drizzle the sauce over the top or serve on the side.

Serves four.

Cook's note: Use fresh scallops, not frozen. When they aren't in season, substitute firm-fleshed fish or shrimp.

Chef Emilio Hernandez, Don Roth's Blackhawk, Wheeling