A Tower of Tuna Tartare with Asian Dressing

One of my favourite things to eat is tuna. I love it as sushi, sashimi, seared as a steak but I particularly like Tuna Tartare.  I can pretty much be guaranteed to order it if I am out for dinner, but I have never made it.  Probably one of the main reasons is it is really really expensive.  The price at the St. Lawrence Market yesterday was $27.99 per pound!!  Ouch.

So I bought a pound with a plan to make two different tuna dishes for me and the Om for dinner - at that price the kids are going to have to eat something else!  Just kidding....I fed it to them.  The Teen LOVED it while the T-Rex thought it was ok with too much lime.  Such a critic for someone not 10 for another month!

For those that don't know, tartare is basically a preparation of finely chopped meat - either beef or fish - that is seasoned with spices and served with a sauce.  That's it.  You MUST have the freshest of fish or beef and be very careful when handling it to ensure it stays cold in preparation and that no cross-contamination with any potentially harmful ingredients occurs.

One of my favourite favourites is the Tuna Tartare at ByMark in Toronto (which is in my opinion one of the best restaurants in the City).  Mark McEwan serves his tuna as a tower atop a crispy rice cake with layers of lime-spiked avocado and Japanese mustard aioli.  I get hungry just thinking about it!  My other favourite still is the Tartare di Tonno at Med Bar & Grill in Montreal, where they serve a spicy tuna tartar with avocado, coriander emulsion and taro chips.  The below is my attempt to create something in the spirit of both of those dishes. 

Tower of Tuna Tartare with Asian Dressing 

(Serves 4 as an appetizer)

1/2 pound very fresh tuna steak, ahi if possible.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lime zest
1/4 cup lime juice (2 limes)

1/2 teaspoon wasabi powder
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 minced scallion, white and green parts

1/4 cup cilantro, very finely chopped.
1 ripe avocado

1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds, for garnish - optional

Dressing:

1/2 teaspoon wasabi powder
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon agave nectar
Freshly ground black pepper

Chop tuna into a 1/4 inch dice and place it in a large bowl. In another bow mix all wet ingredients (not the avocado) together. Pour this mixture over the  tuna and allow the tuna and mix well.  Allow the mixture to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.  

For the dressing, shortly before serving, stir together the wasabi powder and 1 tablespoon water to make a smooth paste. Whisk in the soy sauce, lime, mirin, sesame oil, vinegar, and agave nectar. Add black pepper to taste. Set aside.

When ready to serve, cut the avocado in half and discard the big centre seed.  Using a spoon scoop out the ripe avocado flesh into a bowl.  Chop to a 1/4 inch dice. Carefully mix the avocado into the tuna mixture. Add toasted sesame seeds and season to taste. 

Helpful Hint:  I find the best way to get the seed out of the avocado is to hold the avocado half in the palm of your hand then whack the seed in the middle with the blade of a chef's knife - you will find the knife will stick in the seed - twist the knife gently to the right, and remove the seed while still attached to the knife. To remove the seed from your knife, bang the shaft of the knife against a hard surface and the seed should just pop off.

To Serve:

If you want to be fancy, spoon the tuna into a mold to give the tower effect. I don't think I did too bad considering this was my first time constructing a tower from raw fish :-).

You can use a 2-inch chef ring or an small clean pizza sauce can with the top and bottom lids cut out (as I did) or use a section of PVC pipe cut to the appropriate height (thank you Ming Tsai on Top Chef for that idea).  Basically, you do not have to spend an arm and a leg to buy the special molds Food Network chefs try to sell you from their product lines ;-).   Oh, and I found it does help if you lightly oil the inside of the mold to assist in ease of removal.

To build your tower, lay a foundation layer of sprouts or greens at the base of the mold.  Fill the mold with the tuna-avocado mixture, being sure to pack it down lightly.  Drizzle the sauce around the base of the tuna tower.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds for contrast and garnish with alfalfa or ther sprouts, pea shoots or other small delicate green if desired.   Then carefully lift off the ring...hopefully you have a beautiful tower before you to eat!

This recipe could easily be doubled or trippled for a big party (rather expensive though) and served in baked won ton cups or on Asian soup spoons or on top of good quality waffle cut potato chips.

Won Ton Cups

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place wonton skins on a cutting board and brush lightly with oil. Press each into a miniature muffin tin, oiled side down. Bake until wonton crisps are golden brown, about 8–10 minutes. Allow to cool for five minutes in the tin, then set aside and repeat. (The crisps can be made up to two weeks in advance.)

Cheese Tasting #1

I don't know about you but I have a habit of going to the market, picking a number of nice cheeses, coming home, eating them....loving many, but tossing out the valuable piece of paper that tells you the name of the darned cheese!  Then I go back to the market another time hoping that I will remember what it was that I ate and liked, but I can't always find it.

So, today I decided I need to start writing down the names of the cheeses I buy and keep a few notes about each cheese so I can buy them again if I like them or avoid them if I don't.  And being the generous sort that I am, I thought I'd share this info with you lot!  Maybe I'll make this a monthly thing.

In Canada we are blessed with some amazing cheese makers, many of whom reside in La Belle Province, Quebec.  Today I purchased two Quebec cheeses that I haven't had before, along with a blue from Australia and a sheep's milk cheese from Italy.  Here's a little info on each gleaned from various websites along with our thoughts on each cheese:

Le 14 Arpent (Fromagerie Médard ) - Quebec

Fromage 14 Arpent is a Farm cheese made from the milk of brown Swiss cows, and has a creamy interior covered with a orange-coloured washed rind. Strong on flavour, it releases a taste of hazelnut.  The cheese is named after the road that borders the dairy where it is made - Le Chemin 14 Arpents (arpents = acres).

Our thoughts - Definitely a good choice for a cheese tray instead of your run of the mill brie or camembert.  For a soft cheese, it does have a strong flavour which is mellowed by its creamy texture.  I did not get a taste of hazelnut from the cheese, but I certainly enjoyed it and will buy it again.

Alfred Le Fermier (Fromagerie La Station) - Organic Raw Cow Milk Cheese - Quebec

Alfred Le Fermier is firm, washed rind organic raw cow’s milk cheese. It is ripened for eight months on wooden spruce boards by they cheesemaker, Alfred Bolduc.  The cheese has a flowery and nutty in flavour, with its orangey crust having a woody odour.

Our thoughts - This cheese delivers.  If you look closely at it you can see small pin-holes throughout its creamy flesh.  Looking at the cheese in the store,  I expected it to be harder and dryer but it is quite supple and creamy in texture.  It is buttery and nutty in flavour with good salt, but I did not get anything flowery at all.  Totally a keeper.

Pecorino Toscano DOP Fresco - Sheep Milk - Italy

This is a young Pecorino from Tuscany that is made only from the milk of pure-bred ewes. It is mild, and pleasant to taste with a sweet grassy flavor, The D.O.P. designation, much like the VQA or DOCG wine designations, guarantees that it is produced within a specific region of Tuscany and meets special standards. Pecorino Toscano Fresco is rich in butter fat and is best enjoyed as a table cheese; it is not recommended for grating.

Our thoughts - Pretty underwhelming and not something I would buy again.  I found the cheese lacking in any real flavour or character and rather bland to be honest.  It does have a slight sweet grassy flavour but nothing pronounced.  Guaranteed not to offend any palettes.

Roaring Forties Blue (Kings Island Dairy) - Australia

Roaring Forties Blue Cheese is made on an island just north of Tasmania, Australia. The cheese is named after the Roaring Forties winds of more than 100 kms per hour that the island is known for.   Unlike typical French blue cheeses made from sheeps's milk, Roaring 40's Blue is made entirely from cow's milk from Australian cows, which gives it a milder taste than other blues. It is a full bodied blue with a sweet, mild, creamy and slightly nutty taste. It is a rindless cheese, matured in a thick dark blue wax coating to cut off the oxygen supply, which helps it retain moisture and creates a smooth and creamy texture.

Our thoughts - Wow!  This a great blue.  Not as strong as a Stilton and not as daunting as some of the other very heavily blue veined cheeses. Very sweet, creamy and rich in the mouth, though once again I am not getting the nutty flavour all these cheeses claim.  I also like that it has this almost gritty, salty feel in the mouth very much like my beloved Bresse Bleu.  This is a great choice for a blue on a cheese tray.

Puttanesca Sauce over Wild Pacific Cod

First fish dish of 2011....my take on a fish with Puttanesca Sauce. The sauce is made from tomatoes, black olives, capers, anchovies, onions, garlic, and herbs. It is an easy sauce, briefly cooked, and is very fragrant and can even be spicy.

Now we all know the story about this sauce, right? So there are two basic theories of its origin.....the first says that the name, "puttanesca" translates roughly as "in the style of the whore" because the name derives from the Italian word for whore - puttana. Uh...interesting. The story goes that prostitutes made it for themselves for dinner to keep the interruption of their business to a minimum and they made it for the men awaiting their turn at the brothel to keep them occupied while waiting in line.

The second story, according to Wiki, is the dish was invented in the 1950s by a chef named Sandro Petti. That story goes one evening near closing, the chef had a party sitting at one of his tables. He was low on ingredients and told them he did not have enough to make them a proper meal. They complained that it was late and they were hungry. They said "Facci una puttanata qualsiasi", or “make any kind of garbage,”. So in this story, puttanata is used meaning worthless or easy to make, unlike the other story which alleges its origins with prostitutes.

I guess regardless of its actual origin, it tastes great, it is fast and I always have the ingredients on hand in my fridge to make it. In this version, I added half a shaved fennel bulb just to mix it up a bit.

Puttanesca Sauce over Wild Pacific Cod

1 b. Cod (approx. 6 pieces) or other white firm fish such as halibut, monk fish, mahi mahi or tilapia
3 tbs olive oil
2 tsp. anchiove paste
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
2 cups basic tomato sauce
3-4 whole tomatoes from canned, chopped
1/2 medium sized fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 tbs capers, whole
½ c cured black olives , pitted and coarsely chopped
Pinch red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
3 sprigs basil (I only had fresh thyme and it was nice)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly oil a non-reactive oven-safe pan. Place fish skin side down in the pan and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

While oven is heating....

Place the first 3 ingredients in a large skillet over low heat. Once the anchovies have dissolved add the fennel and sautee until soft and slightly browned, approximately 5-8 minutes. At this point, place fish in preheated oven, and cook for approximately 7-10 minutes depending on thickness, until fish is almost done.

Add remaining sauce ingredients to pan, stir, bring to a boil and cook for a further 8-10 minutes, until fish is almost ready. Take fish from the oven and place in the skillet with the sauce for approximately 2 minutes to let the flavours incorporate and the fish finish cooking. If using fresh herbs, add after you have removed sauce from heat. 

Serve as is or on top of pasta, or with grilled pollenta. We served ours with left-over Risotto Milanese. Top with freshly grated Parmegiano Reggiano if desired. Enjoy!

Crawfish Etouffée and The Trinity

In an effort to reduce the meat in our diet a bit, we picked up a package of frozen crawfish from the St. Lawrence Market last week.   I long to go to New Orleans to eat fresh crawfish by the bucketful but haven't been so lucky in life yet.  One day....

While I am not a great afficiando of Cajun or Creole food, I really was first introduced to this type of food by none other than Emeril Lagasse over 10 years ago when the Food Network first came to Canada.  While back then I found his stilted food presentation skills underwhelming on Essence of Emeril, the food he turned out was extremely interesting and flavourful, so I bought Louisiana Real and Rustic and have made many things from it over the years, including variations on Gumbos and his Ham Hock and Sweet Potato Soup (both to die for).  As time went by, however, with every "BAM!" he made, we became less and less enchanted with the show as it seemed to become so much more about the celebrity chef than the food itself, which is what brought him into our homes to begin with.  I never lost interest in the food of course.

So what is an etoufée anyway, right....  According to Emeril, the word étouffée means "smothered," and in Cajun and Creole cooking generally refers to anything cooked in its own juices, sometimes with a bit of water or stock.  Crawfish are freshwater crustaceans which look like tiny lobsters and which have extremely sweet and tender tail meat.  So I guess Crawfish Etoufée is basically smothered crawfish.

As is the case in every Creole recipe I have ever made, this recipe calls for the holy trinity. Generally, a "trinity" refers to the three cornerstone ingredients of a particular cuisine, a trio of specific ingredients that are combined together and sautéed to become the flavour base of many dishes. These 3 ingredient combinations appear as the basis for many cuisines, such as mirepoix - the basis of French cooking, which is a combination of onion, celery and carrot.  In other countries that border the Mediterranean Sea, the trinity is comprised of garlic, onion and tomato and are called by different names such as refogado in Portuguese, soffritto in Italian, and sofrito in Spanish.  In Phillipean cooking, the same basic combination is called ginisá.  

In Chinese cooking, the trinity is scallion, ginger and garlic, similar to Indian cooking which favours onion, ginger and garlic.  Greek food favours olive oil, lemon juice and oregano, and galangal (thai ginger), kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass are the basis for much Thai cooking.  Obviously, I could go on and on and on.....but in Creole cooking the trinity is comprised of onion, bell pepper and celery.

This is our "lightened" version of Crawfish Etoufée with far less butter than some recipes I have seen.

2 tbsp buttter

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

1 pound crawfish tails (we can only get frozen in Toronto)

2 bay leaves (we were lucky enough to get fresh this week)
1 cup water + 1 tbsp flour for a slurry
1/4- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp chopped parlsley
3 tbsp chopped green onion

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large skillet or non-stick pan. Add onion, celery and bell pepper and cook until softened, approx. 10-12 minutes. Add crawfish and bayleaves, and reduce heat to medium. Cook an additional 10 minutes or so, until crawfish release their liquid.  Season with salt and pepper.

Dissolve flour an cayenne in water to make a slurry, an add to crawfish trinity mixture.  Season with salt and pepper if needed.  Stir until the mixture boils slightly and starts to thicken, about 3-4 minutes.  Sprinkle with parsley and green onion.  Don't forget to remove the bay leaves before serving!

Serve over white rice.