Nov. 10--Though simply named, this is a fairly complex dish if you consider all the elements of fat, sugar, acid, vegetable matter and protein assembled to make it. A lean, precise wine, either white or dry pink, sparkling or still, would not only perform as a counterfoil to the many layers of texture and flavor but also as cleanup and refreshment against it. On the other hand, one kind of chardonnay -- rich, buttery, oaky -- often is successful as a sort of sauce for the seafood sweetmeats of crab, lobster or scallop. Strange how the piling on of richness works, but it does.
THE FOOD: Harvest scallop salad
In a blender, puree 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup basil leaves, 1 tomato, juice of half lemon, 1 tablespoon honey and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet. Add 1 pound scallops; brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate. Add 1 small onion, chopped, and 1 clove garlic, minced, to skillet; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups corn, 2 diced zucchini and 1 diced red bell pepper; cook, stirring, until softened. Return scallops to pan; heat together, about 1 minute. Serve over mixed greens with dressing spooned over. Makes: 6 servings
THE WINES
2012 Buglioni Spumante Brut Rose Il Vigliacco, Veneto, Italy: Unique non-Prosecco sparkler from this region, made of all molinara grapes for a pale pink cast, dried cherry flavors and snappy acidity. $30
2013 Domaine Vincent Delaporte a Chavignol Sancerre, Loire, France: Characteristically citrusy (grapefruit, lime rind, lemon pith) but also with Sancerre's telltale chalk and minerals; crackly acidity at finish. $27
2012 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Riesling Kabinett, Mosel, Germany: From slate-rich slopes double black diamond in pitch comes this white flower-scented, apple-y, whisperingly sweet white. $24-$30
