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'MasterChef Junior' contestants show off culinary skills on Good Day Atlanta

Published  March 12, 2019 12:16pm EDT
Good Day Atlanta
FOX 5 Atlanta

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ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Season 7 of "MasterChef Junior" kicks off Tuesday night on FOX 5 and this season seven contestants are from Georgia. 

Two of those contestants, Brielle and Aaron, stopped by Good Day Atlanta to show off their culinary skills and demonstrate how to cook up pan seared scallops with cauliflower puree and baby spinach with pomegranate sauce. 

For more information on "MasterChef Junior," click here. 

For the pan-seared scallops with cauliflower puree and baby spinach with pomegrante sauce see below.  

PAN SEARED SCALLOPS WITH CAULIFLOWER PUREE AND BABY SPINACH WITH POMEGRANATE SAUCE

4 Serving, Prep Time 15 Minutes, Total Time 45 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
For Scallops:

  • 12 fresh or frozen Scallops
  • 3 teaspoons of Olive oil
  • Kosher Salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon of Minced Garlic
  • Dusting of Pepper 

For Spinach with Pomegranate Sauce:

  • ¾ cup 100% pomegranate juice
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¾ teaspoon cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 10 oz. fresh baby spinach
  • ¼ pomegranate seeds
  • Pinch of Kosher salt 

For Cauliflower Puree:

  • 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
  • 1 head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
  • 1 cup of Heavy Cream
  • 1 cup of Chicken Stock
  • Kosher Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
For Cauliflower: In large saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook. Do not let the garlic brown. Add cauliflower, cream and stock. Cover and bring to a simmer, and cook, adjusting heat to maintain simmer, until cauliflower is tender, 5-6 minutes. Uncover and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by three-quarters. Use a blender and blend hot cauliflower and liquid for a very smooth puree. Season with salt to taste. Put in a squeeze bottle and squeeze circles on the inside of plate.


Pomegranate Sauce: For sauce, in a medium saucepan combine pomegrante juice, honey, coriander, and cinnamon; bring to boiling over medium-high heat. In as all bowl combine lemon juice and cornstarch; stir into boiling juice mixture. Gently boil, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until reduced and slightly syrupy. Put in a squeeze bottle and squeeze circles on the inside of plate.


For Scallops: In an extra-large nonstick skillet heat 1 teaspoon of the oil over medium-high heat to heat the skillet. Sprinkle scallops with kosher salt and pepper. When skillet is very hot, add garlic and scallops; cook for 1-2 minutes no more than 2 minutes to avoid rubbery texture (the scallops should be well seared with a brownish color on both sides or just until scallops are opaque in the center). Transfer scallops of four each on top of circles on plates.


For Spinach: Add spinach in batches; toss for 1to 2 minutes or just slightly wilted with bright green color. Season with pinch of salt and black pepper.

Drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.