Cook with Us #21 - Grilled Bacon Wrapped Scallops and Peaches with Balsamic Reduction

Hello, my fellow Steemians! Another week and another cook with us contest. This week is "The Great Outdoors" with a mystery theme of seafood, so I'm gonna take a little from column "a" and a little from column "b". My dish this week is gonna be seafood on the grill. When I use the grill I like to do some fruit as well so I'm going to pair the scallops with some tasty grilled Peaches. I've become obsessed with carmelizing fruit on the grill. It adds a smoky flavor and paired with the natural sweetness of the fruit makes a great side dish. Outside of picnics and camping grilling didn't take off in America until after World War Two and the middle class moved to the suburbs. In suburban Chicago, a metal worker by the name of George Stephen inherited the controlling interest of Weber Bros. Metal Spinning Company. Known Primarily for harbor buoys, George laid a buoy on its side cut along its arc, added a grate and cut some vents to control temperature. The Weber grill was created and grilling has never been the same.

Ingredients:
1 pound of Sea Scallops
1 pound of center cut bacon
Round wooden toothpicks, soaked in water for 30 minutes
Salt and Pepper
5 peaches
1/2 cup Ricotta cheese
For the Reduction:
1/2 cup of Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup of Orange Juice
2 Tablespoons Honey
1/2 teaspoons of pepper

Add all ingredients for the reduction into a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until it reduces and thickens enough to coat back of a spoon. Remove from heat and place aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet, and put bacon on the rack. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the bacon just starts to cook. Do not fully cook the bacon, remove from oven and let cool until you can handle it. While your bacon is cooling pat your scallops dry with paper towels. Once you can safely handle the bacon wrap a slice around each scallop and secure in place with a toothpick. Place wrapped scallops on a piece of parchment paper, and with a pastry brush apply some bacon grease to both sides of each scallop and season with salt and pepper. On a preheated grill place scallops and grill 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Serve with a little glaze.

Cut peaches in half and remove the pits. Cut the very end off as well. Brush the fleshy sides with a little bacon fat and place on grill. Grill for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and place a dollop of ricotta on each peach and drizzle with glaze.

Alright, that's all I've got this time around. Let me know how you liked the dish. Bon Appetit! - @slowcooking chef

P.S. My grill's grates were messed up so I had to improvise. These metal pans actually worked very well.