Tuna �Tataki� Provencal � The difference between fusion and confusion

�Fusion� cuisine is nothing new. For many years Chefs have been combining aspects from different cuisines to create new and exciting combinations. That Chipolte aioli mayo spread you had on that meatloaf sandwich last week is just one example. When done correctly this �Fusion� cuisine can result in some amazing dishes. Unfortunately, in many cases, these combinations are forced and contrived and just don�t work. When that happens you have what Chefs jokingly call �Confusion� cuisine.

The dish I�m doing today, I hope, is an example of fusion cuisine done right. I�m using a classic Provencal combination of fresh tuna served over a very flavorful Blood Orange Tapenade Citronette. The style I�m using to prepare the tuna is classic Japanese sashimi technique called �Tataki.� This is my favorite way to eat tuna at my local Sushi Bar. They take the freshest tuna possible, give it a quick sear on all sides, slice it thin, and serve it with the traditional sushi garnishes; soy, wasabi, pickled ginger, etc.

I thought this �Tataki� method of cooking would be perfect to use with this delicious tapenade. I was right! It was amazing and incredibly easy. Bye the way, if you are afraid to try sushi (eeewwww, raw fish!) this is a great way to get over your fears. As I say in the clip, this is much closer in taste and texture to a rare piece of beef tenderloin than any fish you�ve had. I hope you can find some fresh tuna and give this a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4-5 oz. Sushi or Sashimi grade Ahi tuna
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tbl olive oil
serve with our Blood Orange Tapenade Citronette

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Blood Orange Tapenade Citronette � Cheating and proud of it!

Sometimes you just have to cheat. I was planning to serve a beautiful seared Ahi tuna loin. I wanted to slice it and serve it on an olive Tapenade. This is a classic combination in the Mediterranean, but I had one problem, I didn�t have the hour it was going to take to shop for, and mince the 12 ingredients that go into my Tapenade recipe. Lucky, I live near a Trader Joes (a CostPlus World Market, or Whole Foods would have also worked), so I went in and bought a jar of prepared green olive Tapenade. Before it went into the basket I carefully checked the ingredients� nothing but vegetables and spices! It was incredibly close to the one I make from scratch, and so I decided to use it guilt-free.

When I got home a quick taste-test confirmed my belief I had made a great decision. It tasted great and I was ready to move on to the tuna. So the point is, if you�re going to �cheat� and use prepared foods, make sure they�re high-quality and all natural. Now, this Tapenade would have made a great accompaniment for my seared tuna all by itself, but I decided to dress it up with some blood orange juice and olive oil as you�ll see in this demo. Bye the way, this mixture is fantastic on almost anything from grilled fish to roasted vegetables. It�s low-carb (as in almost no-carb) and since a small amount goes a long way, it�s also fairly low-cal.

4 tbl green olive Tapenade
1 small blood orange (or half a regular juice orange)
2 tbl olive oil
salt to taste
cayenne to taste

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Homemade Homefries � Deliciously Redundant!

There are many reasons to go out for breakfast or brunch on the weekend. Maybe it�s a break from the daily routine, maybe it�s the Mimosas (when else can you start drinking before noon and feel good about it), or maybe it�s the Homefries. Let�s face it, those crusty, crunchy, hot-off-the-grill potatoes that come with your omelet are a pretty good reason alone to venture out.

Very few of us can duplicate those at home. When most of us try to make Homefries, we just don�t get the same results. They look the same; they�re golden-brown and cooked all the way through, but they just don�t have that beautiful crusty/crispy texture. In this demo you�ll see why. The key is pre-cooking the potatoes in water first, and then frying. By the way, this is my mom�s very basic recipe, and you can of course dress it up with diced peppers, mushrooms, onions, etc.

2 large russet potatoes
3 tbl olive oil
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1-3 cloves garlic
1 tbl cold butter

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I Have a Request!

As you can imagine, I get a lot of requests. I love the interaction with my viewers, and I try as often as possible to satisfy these culinary whims. But, it's not easy. So, if you've made a request and I haven't gotten to it, please don't take it personally (except for Pete, who wanted a classic Italian Lasagne with no cheese, meat products, wheat or salt. He also said he wasn't crazy about tomato sauce, but "use it if you have too").

As you can see from the photo, I do have a system set up for emailed requests. As soon as I get one, I print it out and stack it neatly on my desk. So be patient, I will eventually get to yours...as soon as I find it.

By the way, now that the site is pretty much set-up, I will hopefully be back to posting every week day. On the weekends I'll try to post some fun food stuff I've found surfing the web. Anyway, keep those requests coming! Enjoy!

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Dijon Pan Jus

Sorry to keep you waiting! Here is the sauce clip as promised. This technique is so crucial since it allows for a very fast and elegant sauce anytime you've roasted meat in a pan. All it requires is the "fond" (refer to clip for definition), some type of liquid, and a small chuck of cold butter. At the end of the clip I explain my thought process regarding the exact ingredients to use, but the technique is ALWAYS the same; deglaze, reduce, finish with butter.

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Classic Beef Pot Roast with Winter Vegetables

We went �lean� on Fat Tuesday? Yes, it�s Fat Tuesday, but instead of rich and decadent, today�s clip is lean and clean; a classic beef pot roast, slowly braised with aromatic winter veggies. As I say in the clip, this dish �makes itself.� A nice hunk of chuck, a few seasonings, some veggies and a few hours is all it takes to make something so satisfying and heart warming.

Most of these recipes have you flour the meat first, and then sear it, but I think my method works much better. You�ll see me make a quick roux in the pot before we braise. This allows me to really brown the roast well, without worrying about burning the flour.

Of course you can vary the vegetables that we add for the last hour of cooking, but I hope you don�t leave out the parsnip. It really gives the dish an important aromatic layer of flavor. I didn�t add potatoes (since I wanted to save the carbs for the bread I used to soak up the juice!), but they are a standard addition to this dish in most recipes.

Be careful when selecting your pot roast. You are looking for a boneless, 3 pound beef �Chuck� pot roast. Check a few packages, as some can have larger chucks of fat than others. By the way, hey Butchers, stop putting the price sticker over that big chuck of fat to hide it! I hate that. Anyway, hopefully you have a nice butcher who will make sure you get the perfect cut for this great dish.


3 pound boneless beef �chuck� pot roast
2 tbl olive oil
3 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 bay leave
3 cloves garlic
3-4 springs fresh thyme and rosemary (2 tsp of dried if you can�t find fresh)
2 tbl flour
1 quart beef stock or broth
1 yellow onion
4-5 carrots
2 parsnips
3 stacks celery

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Pan-Roasted Halibut Cheeks with Warm Pancetta Vinaigrette

I was originally going to use scallops for this dish, but when I looked at the fish case at the market and saw fresh halibut cheeks, my menu changed quickly! If you can find halibut cheeks you HAVE to try them. If your market carries regular halibut fillet or steaks, ask the fish person to get you some cheeks. Frozen are fine and they can probably do a special order for you. These are actually sweet, succulent pockets of meat found in the cheeks of the fish. It looks, and also cooks, like a scallop. It is the kind of thing that the fish mongers take home to eat themselves while they laughing at us poor suckers stuck with the fillet!

Warm pancetta vinaigrette is a wonderful sauce for this dish (as it is with almost any dish), and a little goes a long way. I served my cheeks on top of some bright yellow spaghetti squash with is a great, and healthy base for this recipe. Just the pancetta dressing on the squash would have been a winner. Check the site for a demo on how to prep the squash, as it is a very simple and delicious side dish.


Ingredients:
1 Pound Wild Halibut Cheeks (Or Scallops, Tuna, Etc)
3 Oz Pancetta or Bacon
1 Large Handful Pea Shoots Or Sprouts
1 Clove Garlic
1/3 Cup Rice Vinegar
1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
Black Pepper
Salt
2 Tbl Olive Oil
1 Lemon

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