Shell Shocked: 10 Minute Garlic Parmesan Cream Scallops!

5 minutes prep, 5 minutes to cook, this is a dream recipe Dear Reader! This recipe is one of those that you really have to keep up your sleeve. You will not believe how tasty these scallops are and how fast they are to make! And yes this is a pushy recipe!

I was experimenting one day over the holidays when I made these scallops. I had a tiny bit of cream left, some parmesan and a week before Christmas I saw scallops on the shell on sale so I bought them, unable to resist a bargain and then wrapped them and put them in the freezer ready for a fast meal one night. But when I made this, I had no idea how easy this would be or how tasty it would be. I guess what I'm saying is that you really have to try this if you love scallops!

I have to admit that I do love a quick tip or a fast recipe. I either veer towards a food project that takes 10 days or something that requires 15 minutes from beginning to end. For me each has its own place depending on energy level and taste. And if the taste pay off is great compared to the effort expended then it's the best of everything.

Speaking of tips, we were recently talking about service over dinner with Ivy and Ryan. We were at a pizza place and we were having some issues with the service. Usually we have good service, I like to think we're polite and low key. But this waitress wasn't in the right job. Perhaps she had RBF (resting bitch face) but every time we spoke to her she either rolled her eyes or regarded us with disdain.

We asked to sit outside (it was a request when we booked on the form) and she gave us a scowl and acted as though it would put her out a great deal. There were a few tables free, none reserved. When I asked her about a pizza special I had seen on their Instagram page she answered condescendingly and when it came to taking our order, she was no more charming. It got to the point where Ivy and I left it to Ryan to order because we couldn't deal with her attitude. It wasn't just her, they had a lot of rules at this place and it just felt so inhospitable.

We watched her do the same to the table behind us and it was so bad that I realised I couldn't review the place because I couldn't send my Dear Readers there in case they had the same experience. We ate and we left without dessert because we didn't want to linger.

Because Ivy and Ryan are American, they're not used to service like this. They're used to tipping and it being a more performance based exercise. And while you generally get decent service in Sydney, sometimes downright lovely, then occasionally you will get someone like our waitress who clearly wasn't made for the role. Ryan said that he preferred the performance based system and on this occasion I agreed with him because you don't need bad service putting a damper on your meal! Especially when you can eat something like these delicious scallops at home :)

So tell me Dear Reader, would you prefer a performance tip system? What is the service like in your city or town? How long do you usually like to spend cooking? Are you a quick recipe person or a long food project person or a bit of both?

10 Minute Garlic Parmesan Cream Scallops

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

• 12 scallops on the shell
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Step 1 - Preheat the grill to 210C/420F. Mix the parmesan, cream, garlic powder and parsley together in a bowl. Place scallops on an oven tray and divide the cheese among all the scallops. Grill until the cheese is golden and scallops are cooked through (it only takes a few minutes). Serve hot.