Spanish Scallops With Garlic Cream & Tomato Jam - cooking recipe

Ingredients

14 garlic cloves, 12 lightly mashed and 2 minced (medium-size)
1 cup heavy cream (whipping, or more)
1/3 cup bottled clam juice (or chicken stock)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt (kosher or sea)
24 large sea scallops
fresh ground black pepper
tomato jam (see my related recipe)

Preparation

Place the smashed garlic cloves, cream, and clam juice in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook, partially covered, until the garlic feels completely soft when poked with a skewer, 10 to 12 minutes. If the cream mixture has reduced in volume, add enough cream to make 1 cup. Let the garlic cream cool for a few minutes, then transfer it to a blender and puree until smooth.
Place 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and the minced garlic in a small deep skillet over medium-low heat. Stir until the garlic is very fragrant but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic cream and whisk until the sauce is emulsified. Continue cooking, stirring from time to time, until the sauce thickens a little, about 3 minutes. Season the sauce with salt to taste, remove it from heat and keep warm.
Pat the scallops dry with paper towels and seasono them with salt & pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a very large skillet over high heat until almost smoking. Working in three batches, cook the scallops until golden brown and opaque throughout, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked scallops to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
To serve, spread the garlic cream on 4 plates, and arrange 6 scallops on top of each. Dab the scallops with the Tomato Jam and serve at once.