There’s a reason many Australian expats choose to live in Vancouver. “It’s very much like Sydney as far as the look and feel—even though there’s probably a little bit too much rain,” says Thomas Heinrich in an interview with the Georgia Straight at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver.

While the Hyatt executive chef won’t be returning home to Sydney this Christmas, he will experience some sunshine on an upcoming trip to Taiwan in December. Heinrich was one of three North American chefs chosen for a culinary tour of the island sponsored by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau. When he returns to Vancouver, he looks forward to creating a tasting menu inspired by his travels.

Heinrich moved to Vancouver nearly two years ago. He started working in restaurants as a teenager and moved to New York City when he was 21 to become a chef.

“I think I had $500 in my pocket and just a suitcase full of knives and chef uniforms,” he says with a laugh. Later, Heinrich moved to Chicago and was the chef de cuisine at the Four Seasons Hotel before helping to open several Hyatt hotels across North America.

His work in Vancouver puts him in charge of all the dining options at the hotel, from room service and the staff cafeteria to banquets for up to 1,000 guests. Heinrich also oversees the Mosaic Grille and Bar and Grain Tasting Bar.

With his busy schedule, Heinrich admits that he rarely gets the chance to cook for himself. Whether at home or at work, however, scallops are one of his favourite things to cook; he says they make a great dish for holiday entertaining. In the winter, Heinrich’s go-to scallop dish includes seasonal flavours, such as fig and sweet potato. He likes using Ocean Wise Baja scallops and pan-sears them quickly to lock in their sweetness.

“As soon as you’ve got colour on the second side, the scallop is cooked,” Heinrich explains, noting that overcooking scallops is a common mistake by home cooks. “If it looks mid-rare to medium, then take it off because it’s going to finish cooking by itself. The carryover of the heat is going to continue the cooking process even though you have taken it off the pan.”

To pair with the dish, Heinrich recommends an oaked Chardonnay or any white wine that is not too sweet.

Thomas Heinrich’s scallops with figs, prosciutto, and sweet potato purée

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes
½ cup (125 mL) heavy cream
2 Tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
1 lb (454 g) Baja scallops (approximately 12 large scallops)
2 Tbsp (30 mL) butter
1 lemon
2 sprigs thyme
2 oz (57 g) prosciutto, sliced thinly
4 figs
2 Tbsp (30 mL) sugar
Fresh watercress for garnish

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 ° F (180 ° C).
    
2. Wrap each sweet potato in aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until fork tender. Leave oven on for later use.
    
3. Cut each potato in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Place potato flesh into a blender, add cream and olive oil, and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
    
4. In a large pan over high heat, cook scallops for 2 minutes before reducing heat to medium. Cook for another 2 minutes, or until scallops are a golden-brown colour. Turn scallops over and repeat for 2 minutes on other side.
    
5. Add butter, juice from lemon, and whole thyme sprigs to pan. Stir until butter is melted. Reduce heat to low to keep warm.
    
6. Cut figs in half lengthwise. Sprinkle sugar over cut-side of figs. Place on a hot cast-iron grill pan, cut-side down, for 1 minute.
    
7. Place prosciutto slices on a baking sheet and warm in oven for 1 minute.
    
8. To serve, divide sweet potato purée evenly between two plates. Place three scallops on each plate and divide fig and prosciutto pieces evenly. Drizzle pan sauce over plate and garnish with watercress.

Yield: Four main-course servings.

Recipe has not been tested by the Georgia Straight.