EVENT: Flikr Challenge - Tuna Tartare Recipe

Chez Pim posted The Ugliest Photo of Food Ever about a Tuna Tartare recipe published in the New York Times. Well, the ingredients sounded delicious but the photograph was awful. So... Still Life has challenged fellow food bloggers to a new Flikr Challenge to try and make this recipe look as good as it tastes. Needless to say, I am a little more than nervous joining this group of bloggers as many of them are incredible food stylists. To see the other photographs, please see the Flickr Group. But, here goes!

TUNA TARTARE RECIPE

Originally Published:
April 26, 2006 in the New York Times Food Section
Adapted from Gotham Bar and Grill
Yield: 6 servings

FOR THE GINGER VINAIGRETTE:
10 ounces fresh ginger
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce - OMITTED
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons grape seed or canola oil
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with a sprinkle of salt – SUBSTITUTED WITH ROASTED GARLIC
Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper – SUBSTITUTED WITH BLACK PEPPER

FOR THE CROUTONS:
1 baguette, cut diagonally into 18 slices, each 1/8 inch thick
Extra virgin olive oil

FOR THE HERB SALAD:
1 small head baby frisée, rinsed, dried and torn into 1- to 1½-inch pieces – SUBSTITUTED WITH MICRO-GREENS
½ cup gently packed chervil leaves - OMITTED
1/3 cup gently packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/3 cup gently packed cilantro leaves
1 large seedless cucumber, ends trimmed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE TUNA TARTARE:
1 pound sushi-grade yellowfin tuna, well chilled
6 shiso leaves, cut into narrow strips - SUBSTITUTED WITH MINT LEAVES, MINCED
1/3 cup very thinly sliced scallions, white part only
Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper – SUBSTITUTED WITH BLACK PEPPER


1. For the ginger vinaigrette, use a food processor or medium-fine holes of a cheese grater to chop or grate ginger as finely as possible. In batches, wrap ginger in a piece of cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel, and squeeze to extract 3 tablespoons of juice into a small bowl. Whisk in lime juice and hot sauce. Gradually whisk in oil until vinaigrette has emulsified. Whisk in shallot and garlic, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate.

2. For the croutons, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet, and bake until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Let slices cool, and brush both sides ONE SIDE very lightly with olive oil. Place in an airtight container until needed.

3. For the herb salad, in a medium bowl, toss together the frisée, chervil, MICRO-GREENS, parsley and cilantro. If you wish, use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to remove strips of peel about ½ inch apart down the length of the cucumber. Using mandoline or sharp knife, cut cucumber into paper-thin slices - OR CUT THE CUCUMBER INTO MATCHSTICK PIECES. Set aside.

4. For the tuna tartare, using a sharp thin-bladed knife and an impeccably clean cutting board, slice tuna into ¼-inch dice. Place in a mixing bowl, and add shiso, MINT, scallions and ½ cup ginger vinaigrette. Toss, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. For assembly, dress herb salad with 3 tablespoons vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper to taste; mix well. Place a 2½- to 3-inch ring mold in center of a chilled dinner plate. Using outside edge of mold as a guide, make a ring of overlapping cucumber slices. Spoon a sixth of the tuna tartare into mold, pressing it down lightly. (If you do not have a ring mold, simply arrange a ring of cucumber slices, and shape a neat mound of tartare in center.) Stand 2 or 3 croutons in tartare, and pile dressed salad on tartare, between croutons. Carefully lift mold up and off the plate. Repeat to make 6 servings. IGNORE and PLATE AS YOU WISH.

Enjoy!

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