After lots of traveling and eating out, our little Play Gourmet was happy to be home and back in his laboratory. This week, while I was away for work, some experimentation resulted in the discovery of some relatively healthy oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies. (still tasted way too good to be considered all-the-way healthy)

On a relaxing evening, once I got back, we happened on a movie that gripped the little boy’s imagination. One thing led to another, and we had decided to prepare some sea monsters for dinner the next day.

In light of the limitations of our local grocers to provide us with extraterrestrial sea monsters, we decided that we would use scallops as a place holder. For this dining experience, all we need are some sea scallops and bacon for the main dish.

We choose to use bacon as our seasoning. If you think about it, we are substituting butter or oil with fat, and adding salt, smokiness, and sweetness all by using bacon. Plus, we have the option to add bacon, so…. exactly.

The next thing to do is, wrap those suckers.

And now, the way to guarantee the scallop is cooked to perfection. We prepare them for a nice water bath, so that we can cook them sous vide.

At this point, our little Play Gourmet has already set the temperature of the water and is directing traffic in the kitchen. He warns us when the water is ready, and has us step aside as he gently marries the prepared sea monsters with the circulating water, which at this point is at 60 degrees Centigrade, or 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

After 30 mins, the scallops are cooked to perfection and ready to come out of the water.

The final step, is to give that bacon a little more attention on a hot skillet.

And our (slightly larger than) bite-sized creation, fit for the specials menu is ready to serve.

Compliments to chef!