Tuna #3

 

 

 

I’ve been enjoying lots of tuna lately and it’s been a fun challenge to come up with different ways to prepare this wonderful fish. 

 

 One of my first preparations was this Non-Traditional Tuna Salad.

My version of tuna "salad" has all the salad fixin's - sliced cabbage, radicchio, red onion, radishes, cucumber, avocado, sweet peppers, Fresno chilis, toasted pistachios, sesame seeds, sliced scallions, cilantro and fried wonton strips for "croutons."  The tuna was marinated, then seared and sliced, and it's served on a bed of lime/cilantro rice with a sriracha and soy sauce dressings on the side. It explodes with colors, textures, and tastes.

 

My second tuna preparation was Herbalicious Tuna.

 

This tuna was also seared and sliced and then served with an herbal condiment - sort of a combination chimichurri and gremolata.  A fresh tomato and cucumber salad straight from the garden accompanied the tuna.

 My third preparation is marinated tuna served with a blackberry sauce.  I’m marinating inch+-thick tuna steaks, then searing the outside, leaving the inside deliciously rare, almost butter-like. The steaks are then sliced and accompanied by my version of a gastrique.

  I like to offer new techniques and ideas for you to try and today’s contribution is a gastrique, a French name for a sweet and sour sauce.  The sweet component typically comes from sugar (and honey, in my case) and fruit; the sour element from vinegar.  The combination is cooked down, or reduced, along with other flavor infusions.  The result is a sweet and tart syrup-like sauce which is an excellent complement to the tuna, enhancing the fish and amplifying its flavor.  A gastrique is beautifully versatile.  With one basic technique, you can create many different variations depending on what fruits, vinegars, and flavorings you choose.  For this preparation, I’m using blackberries and balsamic vinegar.

I would be remiss if I didn't explain about balsamic vinegar.

  Balsamic vinegar is a dark, syrupy vinegar, glossy and viscous, slightly sweet with a mellow tartness, bold with a rich complexity, and intensely flavored.  There are many varieties in stores and you want to find a good one, not a poor imposter. 

 True balsamic vinegar comes from only two areas in Italy – Modena and Reggio Emilia.  The production of balsamic vinegar is a time-honored tradition and process and dates back to the Middle Ages so quality balsamic vinegar won’t be cheap because you’re paying for knowledge, tradition, history, craft, and time.

So, how do you choose a quality balsamic vinegar?  You check the labels.  You’re looking for one of two designations on the bottle:  DOP or IGP.  The DOP and IGP labels serve to preserve Italian culinary heritage, allowing consumers to distinguish authentic regional specialties from low-quality knock-offs.  The need for guaranteed authentic products began in the mid 1900s when Italian cuisine gained popularity in the United States and other areas.  To supply the increasing demand for Italian products, the market became flooded with mass produced, inferior imitations of Italian products, all sold under the guise of the high quality products they tried to copy.  (For example, think about the green can of “Parmesan” cheese vs authentic Parmigiano Reggiano.) To protect their culinary reputation and the uniqueness of certain food products, to protect names from misuse and imitation, and to guard against food fraud, Italy worked with the European Union to create legal certifications to insure quality, tradition, reliability, and authenticity.  To earn the labels, producers must adhere to a strict set of guidelines, overseen by the government.

 The red DOP stamp on a bottle stands for Denominazione d’Origine Protetta,or Protected Designation of Origin. This stamp is a European Union certification and a designation of authenticity that guarantees that the vinegar was made only in Modena or Reggio Emilia, from grapes of those regions, using traditional methods and recognized techniques, with production overseen from beginning to end by a special consortium dedicated to safeguarding the product. By law, only DOP products can carry the word “traditional” on their labels.  Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP or Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia DOP are the Mothers of  balsamic vinegars. The sole ingredient is grape “must,” the must being the whole pressed grapes (including juice, skin, seeds, and stem), only from the designated regions of Modena or Reggio Emilia. Aged for at least 12 years in a series of barrels and sold in wax-sealed bottles with unique identification numbers, these vinegars are quite expensive.  They are not what I’d recommend for this particular recipe because of the cooking involved. Heating these vinegars would affect the properties of the vinegars, destroying subtle flavors and their distinctive bouquets.  These vinegars are meant to be tasted and enjoyed sparingly and judiciously.

 For a good quality balsamic vinegar, and one more to my budget, I look for the blue IGP seal.  This designation – “Indicazione Geografic Protetta” or Indication of Geographic Protection, is similar to DOP.  A consortium controls the production process from beginning to end, but the regulations are less strict. At least one phase of the process must be done in the areas of Modena or Reggio Emilia. To keep up with the demand for balsamic vinegar, derivative methods are employed, using grape varietals typical of, but from outside, the Modena and Reggio Emilia regions.  The processing, however, takes place in Modena and Reggio Emilia facilities with consortium approval. The aging process is nowhere near as long and IGP vinegars will likely contain additional ingredients besides the grape must – notably, wine vinegar, thickeners, and caramel.

 For my purposes, a balsamic vinegar with the IGP label will work just fine with this recipe.

 

 Now, on to the tuna.

 

For the marinade: 

¼ cup orange juice

¼ cup soy sauce

1 TB fresh minced ginger root

Combine ingredients and marinate tuna while you’re making the sauce.

 

  

 Blackberry and Balsamic Vinegar Sauce

½ cup balsamic vinegar

Zest and juice of two oranges

2 TB sugar

2 TB honey

1 cup blackberries, plus more for garnish

Combine ingredients in small sauce pan and heat low and slow until mixture is reduced by half.  Takes about 30 minutes, but you need to watch it because this can burn quickly.  I always set the sauce pan in a cast iron pan so the heat is diffused and it cooks evenly.  When reduced, add in a handful (or more) of blackberries, mashing them into the sauce and heating through.  Remove from heat.

 To plate, lay the seared tuna next to thin orange slices, spoon the reduction sauce over the tuna, and tumble on some whole blackberries.

Enjoy.

Rosie Makes Herbalicious Tuna.

 

 I have another tuna preparation for you today.  Today's tuna dish is "Herbalicious Tuna." It's seared and sliced tuna steaks served with an herbal condiment and a fresh garden salad.  All the flavors come together in this preparation.  You have the brightness of citrus and herbal flavors along with a tomato and cucumber salad.  My herbal condiment combines the citrus fragrance of lemon zest with the grassiness of parsley, the sweetness and pepperiness of basil, the refreshing coolness of mint, and the savory pungency of garlic.  It's light and summery and simple.

Remember my Tuna Connection?

He scored once again and I have this nice tuna loin.

 The first tuna dish I made was my Non-tuna salad - a non-traditional, unconventional salad, of sorts, which was both lovely to look at and lovely to eat.  Colors, textures, and flavors were exceptional.

 

In case you missed it, here's the recipe.

Now, back to today's tuna delight.
 

  First, I sliced the tuna into generous 1-inch thick steaks.

I'm not bothering with a marinade here.  I just sprinkled on some Lawry's seasoned pepper and Togarashi seasoning before searing.  Togarashi is a combination or red chile flakes, black and white sesame seeds, nori (seaweed), poppy seeds, and lemon and orange zests. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I heated my cast iron skillet over high heat and added a swirl of peanut oil.  (Peanut oil for the high smoke point.)  Let the temperature get to at least 475°.  Add in a pat of butter and let it melt, and then place in your tuna steak.  I'm using a small pan here, so one steak at a time.  You don't want to crowd the pan which lowers the heat.  You want that pan hothothot to get that nice sear.

  I like my tuna on the rare side, so cook for 1 - 1 ½ minutes on the first side, turn over, and cook for a minute on the other side.  Remove from pan and let rest a couple minutes before slicing and plating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the herbal condiment:

 ½  oz. parsley

¼  oz. basil

⅛  oz. mint

1 garlic clove

Juice and zest of one lemon

1 TB oil

Kosher salt, to taste 

If you don’t have a scale to measure in fractions of an ounce, go with a yepsen of parsley, a handful of basil, and a half handful of mint.  And by the way, a yepsen is a unit of measurement.  It’s the amount that can be held in two hands cupped together.

Mince the garlic, finely chop the herbs, add in the juice and zest of the lemon, then stir in the oil.  Pinch of salt.  

I served the tuna slices with a fresh salad from the garden.

 Simple Garden Salad 

½ cup diced cucumber

½ cup diced tomato

¼ cup chopped red onion

1-2 tsp minced jalapeño

1 TB chopped fresh basil

2 TB chopped fresh parsley

 

Combine ingredients and toss with dressing:

1 TB sugar

2 TB cider vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

To plate, arrange tuna slices, spoon herbal dressing over top, and nestle in the tomato-cucumber salad.

Enjoy.

Peach Pie and Peach Ice Cream.

I have a plethora of peaches.  Youngest Hawthorne came home with 4 huge boxes of beautiful South Carolina peaches, so today I'm making 2 peach pies and some peach ice cream to go with the pies.  

Rosie Note:  If you're going with the peach ice cream, be aware that the custard mixture needs to chill, so allow yourself time for that.  Either start early in the day or let the mixture chill overnight.

 

 

 

Rosie's Peach Pies

This recipe makes enough for 2 9-inch pies.  You can make your own pie dough or you can save yourself the trouble and use the refrigerated dough that's rolled up and comes two to the box.

I used 3 of the rolls - 2 for the pies and 1 for the lattice strips.

 

Let refrigerated dough come to room temperature, then unroll two of the rolls and place into 9-inch pie pans.  Crimp edges.  Refrigerate pans with dough.

Unroll third pie crust and slice into thin lattice strips.

6 cups peeled and sliced peaches

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg  (You can use ground; I just happened to have the nuts on hand. Well, actually, it's not a nut.  Nutmeg is a seed.  They just look like little nuts.)

1/4 tsp kosher salt

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 TB vanilla 

 

1 beaten egg

turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw) for sprinkling

 Heat oven to 375°.

Peel and slice peaches and place in colander for 30 minutes to drain excess juices. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together sugars, flour, spices, and salt.  Pour drained peaches into a large bowl, add dry ingredients, and toss together.  Add lemon juice and vanilla and mix well.   Pour filling into prepared pie pans.

Weave lattice strips atop each pie.  Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle turbinado sugar over top.

Place pies on sheet pan in case there's any run-off and bake about 45 minutes - until filling is bubbly and lattice is golden brown.  I always check my pies during baking to see if the tops are getting too dark.  You may need to tent with foil to prevent further browning.

 

  Let cool for 20 minutes or so to allow the filling time to set up. Serve with my peach ice cream.

For the step-by-steps:

Let peeled and sliced peaches drain in colander.

Mix dry ingredients.

Pie ingredients ready.  Clockwise from middle left side:  mixed dry ingredients, sugar in the raw, drained peaches, beaten egg, lemon juice and vanilla.

Cut third pie dough into thin lattice strips.

Pour peaches into dry ingredients.

Toss to coat.

Pour in lemon juice and vanilla.

Spoon peaches into prepared crusts.

Weave the lattice strips on top.

Brush strips and edges with beaten egg.

Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

And bake.

Use up all the lattice strips.  I made some decorative rosettes.

Now, let's make some peach ice cream.

Rosie's Peach Ice Cream

Makes 1 quart

6 peaches, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup sugar

juice of one lemon

1 cup skim milk

3 cups cream

 1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

 4 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

2 vanilla beans

1 TB vanilla extract

 

Rosie Note:   I use skim milk and heavy cream because that's what I always have in the fridge.  You can use any percentage milk you want - 1%, 2%, or whole - along with the cream.  It would only make the ice cream richer and better.

 

Peel and slice peaches.  Place in a large bowl and toss with 1/2 cup sugar and juice of one lemon.  Cover and let sit for at least an hour (or overnight) so they release their juices and you have a nice syrupy liquid. 

 

Make the custard:

In a medium sauce pan, pour in the milk, cream, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt.  Heat over medium-low until very hot but not bubbling. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks with 1/4 cup sugar until light-colored.

Slowly, and whisking constantly, pour in 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the yolk and sugar mixture to temper the eggs.  Slowly whisk in another 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture.  Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan and add the vanilla extract.   If you don't have vanilla beans, don't worry, but I like the extra flavor the beans offer.  To prepare the vanilla beans, slice down the side of the bean and scrape out the seeds into the custard mixture.  I add the scraped beans to the mixture too for the flavor. (Just remember to remove the beans when you pour the custard mixture into the ice cream maker.)  Heat over medium low, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until temperature reaches 170°-175° and mixture thickens.  Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least four hours or overnight.

When chilled,  combine custard mixture and peach juices and pour into ice cream maker.  Churn away, occasionally scraping down sides.  When mixture looks like soft-serve ice cream (25-30 minutes), add in the peaches and continue churning for another 10 minutes.  Scoop into pint containers and freeze.

Grape and Strawberry Salad.

Well, isn't this festive!

I wanted something fruity and sweet and pretty and I came up with this.

I didn't bother measuring my ingredients.  There are no hard and fast rules here. Just make it!

For the dressing:

3-4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2-3 TB sour cream

1-2 TB sugar

drizzle vanilla

Mix all ingredients together.

 

You know, if you had some plain yogurt, that would work here too.

If you wanted to use brown sugar instead of white sugar, that's good too.

Toast:

handful of pecans

handful of coconut

For the crunch:

1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced

Fruit:

I used grapes and sliced strawberries.  Red grapes would be pretty too.

Consider other fruits:  kiwi, apple, blueberry to name a few.

I use the grapes whole.  Don't bother slicing them because I think that would make this too watery.

Preparation:

Make the dressing, then add in the fruit, celery, nuts, and coconut.  Stir gently to coat everything.

For serving, I like to sprinkle a little turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw) over top.  Gives it a sweet crunch.

This is a perfect dessert/snack for these hot summer days.

Enjoy!

 

Hawthorne Lunch: Seared Sea Bass/Fried Tile Fish With A Fresh Peach Sauce And A Green Bean Salad

 

Lunch is lookin’ good today.

First, I’m making another variation on a green bean salad and then Mr. Hawthorne will be searing some sea bass fillets.  To accompany the fish, I have a fresh peach purée which compliments quite nicely.

To prepare the beans, trim the ends and break into 2 or 3 pieces each.

I’ve got about two cups worth of beans.  

Bring a quart of water to a boil and throw in a tablespoon of kosher salt.  I know it sounds like a lot, but it works.  The beans cook quicker and taste beanier.  Trust me on this.  Drop in the green beans and set the timer for 5 minutes.  Drain the beans, then immediately plunge into an ice water bath to stop the cooking and set the bright green color.  When the beans are cool, drain them, then add whatever salad fixings you like.

Here’s what I’m adding to my beans:  

(Adjust amounts according to your own tastes.)

2 TB roasted peanuts

1 TB chopped red onion

1 TB chopped cucumber

2 TB diced fresh mozzarella

1 TB chopped fresh mint 

1 TB chopped fresh basil

Combine all ingredients.

Make the dressing:

2 TB lemon juice

1 tsp Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Gray Poupon Dijon mustard (Do not substitute a generic brand.)

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp cider vinegar

1 tsp Asian sweet chili sauce

1/4 cup neutral flavored olive oil (I use Bertolli extra light olive oil.)

Combine first 6 ingredients, then slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly until you have a nice emulsion.

Pour dressing over bean salad and toss to coat.

Always taste test.  I’ve simply given you the guidelines.  Adjust anything you want.

For the peach purée:

1 peach, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 garlic clove

1 small cayenne pepper

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp rice vinegar

1 TB lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a processor and pulse several times to purée.

Stir in a teaspoon of finely chopped fresh mint.

I left the fish fillets up to Mr. Hawthorne.

I’m using sea bass (since that’s what Youngest Hawthorne brought home), but you could use any firm white fish here.

To season, Mr. H. sprinkled Old Bay seasoning and freshly ground pepper over each fillet. 

Lightly film your pan with oil and add a tablespoon or two of butter.  The oil lets you get a hot pan and the butter is for flavor.  Heat to  350° - 375° and then place your fillets in the hot oil/butter.  Sear about 2-3 minutes each side, depending on the thickness of your fillets.

Serve fillets on a pool of peach purée with the green beans on the side.

After the lovely sea bass, Youngest Hawthorne brought home some tile fish.  I still had the peach purée and decided to fry up the tile fish and serve it with the purée.                 

Enjoy.