Washington, Virginia
Internationally Acclaimed Chef
Patrick O'Connell
Recipes can be found in his cookbook
"Filet Mignon" of Rare Tuna
Capped
with Seared Foie Gras on
Charred Onions
and Burgundy Butter Sauce
Internationally Acclaimed Chef
Patrick O'Connell
Recipes can be found in his cookbook
"Filet Mignon" of Rare Tuna
Capped
with Seared Foie Gras on
Charred Onions
and Burgundy Butter Sauce
Tuna lends itself well to some of the same methods used for cooking beef. This preparation could confuse a blindfolded cowboy into thinking he was biting into a succulent steak. In this dish, a center-cut portion of tuna is trimmed to resemble a filet mignon, grilled rare; topped with a slab of seared foie gras (fattened duck liver), and sauced with an explosively full-flavored red wine sauce. It's served resting on charred onions and ribbons of zucchini and carrot. Naturally, the same concept works beautifully with a fillet of beef. If foie gras is unavailable, just omit it. The dish will still be sensational without it.
Ingredients:
1) 4 Center-cut tuna steaks, about 4 ounces
each, trimmed
into a shape of a filet
mignon
2) One large white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3) 1/4 cup olive oil (approximately)
4) 2 large carrots, peeled and diced very thin
lengthwise into
ribbons
5) 2 medium size zucchini, diced very thin lengthwise
into
ribbons
6) 2 tablespoons Brown Butter (recipe
follows below)
7) Salt and Freshly ground pepper to taste
8) 4 ounces foie gras
9) Burgundy Butter Sauce (recipe follows
below)
Preparation:
1) Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over high
heat until
very hot.
2) Moisten the onion slices with oil and lay
in the hot skillet
one layer deep. Cook
until lightly charred, turn over with
tongs, and char the
other side. Remove from the pan and
keep warm. Repeat
until all the onions are cooked.
3) Meanwhile, bring about 2 quarts of lightly
salted water to
a rapid boil and drop
in the carrot ribbons. Cook for about
2 to 3 minutes, or
until the carrots are tender but still
al dente. Lift the
carrots out of the water with a slotted
spoon and place in
a bowl. Using the same pot of boiling
water, repeat this
process with the zucchini ribbons.
(Note...The zucchini
will cook much faster than the carrots.)
4) Add the cooked zucchini to the carrots.
Add the Brown
Butter and season with
salt and pepper.
5) Using a very sharp knife dipped in warm water,
cut the
foie gras into 1/2-inch-thick
slices. Sprinkle with salt and
pepper and keep chilled.
6) Moisten the tuna steaks with oil and season
with salt and
pepper. Place
into the same hot skillet used to char the
onions. Sear
for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove
and keep warm.
7) In a smoking-hot 7 inch saute pan, sear the
liver slices on
both sides from about
30 seconds; or just until a crisp outer
crust forms.
Remove and keep warm.
To Serve:
1) Quickly lay three or four charred onion rings
in the
center of each of four
warm serving plates. Arrange two
carrot ribbons and
two zucchini ribbons over the onions
in a nestlike pattern.
Place a tuna steak on top, then finish
with a slice of foie
gras and a few charred onions.
2) Saute each plate with three pools of Burgundy
Butter Sauce.
Brown Butter
(makes 1 cup)
In a heavy skillet
over medium heat, melt the butter,
stirring constantly.
Increase the heat and continue
stirring as the
butter foams, and begins to turn golden
brown.
Immediately remove the butter from the heat
and carefully
pour it into a heat-proof container.
Burgundy Butter Sauce
(makes 2 cups)
Ingredients:
1) 1 cup balsamic vinegar
2) 1 1/8 cups red wine
3) 1 shallot, cut in half
4) 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter;
cut into
tablespoon-size pieces
5) 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold lightly salted butter;
cut into
tablespoon-size pieces
Preparation:
1) In a medium-size heavy-bottomed saucepan,
combine
the vinegar, wine and
shallot over medium heat and
reduce to a syrupy
consistency.
2) Using a wooden spoon, incorporate the butter
into the
sauce one piece at
a time. When all the butter is
incorporated, remove
the shallot pieces. Keep warm
until ready to serve.
Coeur a la creme is an old french country concoction that is both earthy and elegant, rustic and dressy -- appropriate for any occasion. It's a wonderful complement to whatever summer berries are in season. This dessert is served at The Inn to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. It can be made in less than five minutes and never fails to knock'em out -- even more so than an elaborate cake that two two days to execute.
One large (16-ounce) or four individual (4-ounce) perforated heart-shaped ceramic molds lined with cheesecloth will be needed to create this dessert. The perforated molds allow the excess liquid , or whey, to drip through the cheesecloth, leaving the delicious "heart" of the cream. Coeur a la creme molds are usually available at kitchen supply stores.
Ingredients:
1) 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
2) 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
3) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4) 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
5) 1 tablespoon Chambord or other raspberry
liqueur
6) 1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
...For the Raspberry Sauce...
1) 1 pint fresh raspberries
2) 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3) 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
...Garnishes...
1) Fresh Raspberries
2) Mint leaves
Preparation:
1) Cut a piece of cheesecloth into four 6-inch
squares.
Dampen and wring
out lightly. Press one square into
each of four perforated
heart-shaped ceramic molds
and set aside.
2) In a bowl of an electric mixer, whip the
mascarpone
cheese, 1/4 cup of
the cream, the vanilla, the 1 tablespoon
lemon juice, and the
Chambord until thoroughly blended.
Refrigerate.
3) In a small bowl, whip the remaining cup cream
and the
confectioners' sugar
until the cream forms stiff peaks.
4) With a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream
into the
chilled cheese mixture
in three batches.
5) Spoon the finished mixture into the prepared
molds and
fold the edges of the
cheesecloth over the tops. Lightly
tap the bottoms of
the molds on the counter to remove
any air spaces between
the mixture and the molds.
Refrigerate on a tray
or baking sheet a minimum of 2 to 3
hours.
Raspberry Sauce:
In a blender or food processor,
puree the raspberries,
granulated sugar, and
1 teaspoon lemon juice. Taste the
sauce for sweetness
and adjust the sugar or lemon sauce as
needed. Strain
and refrigerate.
To Serve:
1) Unfold the cheesecloth and drape it over
the sides of the
molds. Invert
each mold onto a serving plate. While
pressing down on the
corners of the cheesecloth, carefully
lift off the mold.
Smooth the top with the back of a spoon
and remove the cheesecloth
slowly.
2) Spoon raspberry sauce onto the plate around
the heart
and garnish with fresh
berries and mint leaves.