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["In a medium sauce pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat.", "Add in the shallots, garlic, and mushrooms, and season with only pepper (but no salt yet).", "Cook about 5-7 minutes, until the mushrooms really start to sear and caramelize.", "Then, and only then, season them with salt.", "Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to the pot, and then the 3 tablespoons flour.", "Whisk to combine.", "Lower the heat to medium-low, and cook for 1 minute, until the raw cereal taste is cooked out.", "Add vermouth, and stir until the flour absorbs it.", "Add in the wine and clam juice and whisk well.", "Finally, add the half and half.", "Whisk really well.", "Season again with salt, and plenty of black pepper.", "Cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens (dip a wooden spoon in the sauce, then run your finger down the back of the spoon.", "If a distinct stripe appears, the sauce is thick enough.", "If it refuses to thicken, blend 1/2 tbsp butter with 1 tbsp flour in a small bowl, then add that to the sauce.", ").", "Meanwhile, grease 4 individual gratin dishes with spray or with butter.", "Place 5 sea scallops (or 1/4 lb bay scallops) in each of the gratin dishes, and season with salt and pepper.", "Roll out the puff pastry slightly, and use a saucer to cut out rounds that just fit over the tops of the gratin dishes, with a slight bit of room to overhang - maybe 1/2"" to 3/4"" wider than the dishes.", "Using a 4 ounce ladle, pour one ladle full of the hot mushroom cream sauce into each gratin dish.", "Sprinkle with parsley, and then cover each dish with one circle of puff pastry, gently pushing the pastry onto the rim of the gratin dishes.", "Take a paring knife and cut 4 little steam vents into the center of the pastry.", "Brush the pastry with egg wash, and arrange whole fresh herb leaves on top to decorate.", "Set the pot pies onto two foil-lined baking sheets.", "Trim the pointed ends of the lemons, then cut the lemon in half.", "Stand the lemon halves on their smaller flat sides on the baking sheets with the pies, their broader flat sides facing up, and drizzle them with a drop of olive oil.", "Bake for 15 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden-brown and the sauce is bubbling."]
