Tuna Steaks with Ginger-Black Pepper Sauce

Recipe: Tuna Steaks with Ginger-Black Pepper Sauce
Page: 206
Date Cooked: October 15, 2010

I am a large fan of tuna steaks. It is a great alternative to other seafood and also has the potential to appeal to red meat eating patrons. I also appreciate that tuna can be cooked very rare and accepts flavors well. And all of these aspects of tuna are accomplished in Waxman's "Tuna Steaks with Ginger-Black Pepper Sauce."

Ingredients: Limes, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, fresh ginger, coriander seeds, tuna steaks, cilantro, red bell peppers, chiles, unsalted butter, black peppercorns, olive oil 

The first step is to create the marinade for the tuna steaks. Half of the lime juice, sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, fresh grated ginger, and coriander seeds are all whisked together. The marinade is poured over the tuna steaks with a few cilantro springs. The tuna is then marinated at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Tuna steaks in marinade with cilantro sprigs

While the tuna marinated, it is on to coring and stemming the peppers and chiles. Jonathan Waxman calls for the peppers to be cut into 1-x-2 inch triangles Honestly I'm not sure why exactly the peppers are cut in this manner. Initially I was under the impression it was a cooking technique but I am pretty sure it is a presentation thing. Nonetheless, I did my best to get those peppers into triangles.

Left: Cored and stemmed peppers and chiles
Right: Peppers and chiles cut into 1-x-2 inch triangles

The final component of the dish is the ginger-black pepper sauce. The peppercorns are added to butter until fragrant. In the meantime the tuna is removed from the marinade. The marinade is strained and added to the peppercorn pan, along with the rest of the lime juice. The sauce is then reduced.

The ginger-black peppercorn sauce being reduced

Now that all the components of the dish are prepared, it is on to cooking. The peppers and chiles are sautéed   in the olive oil for about 8 minutes, removed from the pan, and then covered to keep warm. In the same pan, the tuna is cooked until medium rare (a few minutes on each side). 

Pan-seared tuna until medium-rare

Simultaneously, the sauce is reheated, brought off the heat, and butter and ginger are whisked into the mixture. Now on to the final product...

Tuna Steaks with Ginger-Black Peppercorn Sauce

This dish was flavorful and tasty. The sauce had such a punch of ginger and pepper and complimented the tuna steak perfectly. Moreover, the tuna steaks were cooked to medium-rare, so you could enjoy the seared outside and yet enjoy the texture of the tuna steak. My one critique of the dish was that I had a lot of the peppers and chiles left over. Overall, I think this dish has an elegance to it and can be quite impressive when served.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Jonathan Apple Soup

Recipe: Butternut Squash and Jonathan Apple Soup

Page: 60

Date Cooked: October 15, 2010

“The true test of any cook is his or her ability to make a simple soup.” Jonathan Waxman opens with this line in the soup section of “A Great American Cook,” and his words are no secret in the culinary world. The one thing I do know about soup is that if done correctly the flavors have the punch of an entire entrée. 

Here in Pennsylvania it is apple season and it seemed only appropriate that I try to make as many recipes as possible that require this ingredient. While the recipe speaks highly of the Jonathan apple (a variety I had never heard of), I could not seem to locate it and used McIntosh apples instead (the recipe calls for Jonathan, McIntosh, or Jonagold apples).

Ingredients: Butternut squash, unsalted butter, kosher salt, McIntosh apples, white onion, garlic, black pepper, apple cider

The squash was cut, the seeds were scooped out, and it was then dotted with some butter to roast in the oven. About half-way through the squash roasting time, the apples were placed into the same pan till both the squash and apples were tender. The smell of butternut squash, apples, and butter roasting in the oven were amazing – it definitely felt like fall in my house.

Roasted squash and apples

While the squash and apples cooled, I went on to slice the onions and smash the garlic. The onions and garlic were sautéed with some butter, salt, and pepper for approximately 15 minutes. As the onion mixture sautéed, the squash and apples were chopped coarsely.

Left: Sautéed onions and garlic
Right: Chopped squash and apples

The squash, apples, apple cider, and water were added to the onion mixture. Everything was brought to a boil and then left to simmer for 20 minutes.

The soup simmering

After simmering, I placed batches of the soup into the blender to puree – while also adding some extra salt and pepper. The soup is then ready for consumption!

Butternut Squash and Jonathan Apple Soup

My initial take on Butternut Squash and Jonathan Apple Soup was that it was sweet. I think part of this had to do with the apples (those apples were delicious!) and the other side is that I didn’t add enough salt and pepper. Nonetheless, I thought the soup was great. The richness and smoothness was spot on and the flavor was perfect. Moreover, for a soup, this took relatively little time and effort. There is little to no doubt that I would make this again!

Enjoy!

Steamed Artichokes with Garlic Mayonnaise

Recipe: Steamed Artichokes with Garlic Mayonnaise
Page: 251
Date Cooked: October 5, 2010

When I started this project I realized that the task was daunting - cooking every recipe takes time and dedication. However, the one thing that put me at ease was the vegetable recipe section in "A Great American Cook," where the directions are short and sweet.

This vegetable section recipe included steaming artichokes and making my own mayonnaise - both firsts for me.

Ingredients: Artichokes, lemon, flat-leaf parsley, olive oil, egg yolks, sea salt, garlic

The only time I eat artichokes are when someone else prepares them. And I do enjoy them. While I have bought artichokes from the store on numerous occasions, they tend to stay in my fridge until I throw them out. All because I never really knew what to do with a whole artichoke and was somewhat intimidated to prepare them. However, I can safely say that after this recipe I no longer feel that way!

To steam artichokes was just so simple and I'm somewhat disappointed no one informed me of this sooner. I cut about one inch from the top of the artichoke, trimmed down each leaf, and then cut the stems so they would stay upright in the steamer basket. They were then placed into a pot to steam for about 40 minutes.

Artichokes ready to be steamed.

While the artichokes steamed, I began making the mayonnaise. The juice of the lemon, chopped parsley leaves, egg yolks, and salt were all combined into a bowl and then whisked for 3 minutes.

Left: Lemon juice, parsley, egg yolks, and salt
Right: Components after being whisked for 3 minutes

Then came the difficult part of the mayonnaise making process: adding the olive oil. The olive oil is initially added a few drops at a time till the sauce emulsifies. It is then carefully drizzled at a slow pace to avoid curdling. The garlic is then added to the sauce.

Simultaneous whisking and olive oil drizzling. 

I thought I had the followed the directions just as they had been laid out in the recipe. Unfortunately, my mayonnaise never did look like mayonnaise. It did thicken, but it never had the light and fluffy texture that I wanted.

Garlic Mayonnaise

Though the mayonnaise didn't have the right consistency, I did end up with perfectly steamed artichokes and used the "mayonnaise" for dipping. Despite the incorrect texture, the mayonnaise mixture was delicious! It also went perfectly with the artichokes. The sauce gave the perfect amount of acidity one would want with steamed artichokes. Furthermore, the lemon juice, parsley, and garlic produced an amazing flavor.

All in all, I decided I have to give mayonnaise making another try (and luckily for me, this isn't the only time Jonathan Waxman calls for making mayonnaise). Again in spite of not producing a perfect mayonnaise - it still turned out to be a tasty dish. And, hey, I'm not afraid of preparing artichokes anymore!

Enjoy!