This recipe doesn't have an origin in anything other than an attempt to come up with an elegant starter course featuring scallops. I knew that I wanted to sear them, and I knew that there would be a truffle cream sauce to finish. Working out the details was a matter of tasting and testing. Adding Sambuca for a bit of sweetness and the anise flavor came to me in the shower, as do a lot of my ideas for these contests: hungry, starting the day, with quiet time to come up with crazy ideas. I think it wound up working out nicely, and it does come through in the crust, and pairs nicely with the truffle. It's a little French, a little Italian, and a tiny little bit Asian.

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