Bodacious Bouchons - September BakeSpace Challenge

It's that time of the month again... My Bakespace buds and I participate in the BakeSpace Challenge. This month, the challenge was to choose a recipe from another participating member's Recipe Box, and make it. We did a round robin drawing so my friend DDpie (DD) was cooking from my recipe box, and I was cooking from Gigi421's (Karen) recipe box, who was cooking from DajaD's (Dajana) recipes.... and so on and so forth... Did that make any sense?

I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to cook from Karen's collection. There were SO many great things... Braciole from her grandmother, Savory Italian Herbed Muffins, Zabaglione with Strawberries (that she had made for the Strawberries and Eggs challenge from earlier this year), as well as Sauerkraut Balls, Veal Capricosa and something I have made many times before because they are absolutely delicious.... Ricotta Gnocchi. But I finally decided on Tuna Corks, because I had friends over for lunch this afternoon, and I thought it would be a great little repast.

I made two changes out of necessity, because I was missing 2 ingredients... Onion and Gruyere. So I resorted to Shallot and Uniekaas Alpenhorn, which is a dutch cheese that is kind of a cross between Gruyere and Emmental. I also separated the eggs to see if I could get a little height to the finished product. This did increase my output from 8 bouchons to 11. Here is my slightly altered version, and YES, they were DELICIOUS!!!!! Something delightfully different from Tuna Salad or a Tuna Sandwich... YUM!

Bouchons au Thon

(Tuna Corks)

Vegetable cooking spray
6 oz Chunk-Light or Albacore Tuna in spring water, drained
2 TB finely chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3 TB Tomato Paste
3 large Eggs, lightly beaten (I separated 2 of the eggs and beat the egg whites then folded them in)
1/4 cup finely chopped Yellow Onion (Shallot)
1 cup (4ozs.) shredded Gruyere cheese (I used Uniekaas Alpenhorn)
1/3 cup Crème Fraîche

Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
Lightly grease 8 wells of a standard muffin tin with the cooking spray.

Place the tuna in a medium size mixing bowl; use a fork to break up any pieces larger than a dime.

Add Parsley, Salt, Tomato Paste and Eggs stirring to combine thoroughly. (I added 1 egg and 2 egg yolks)

Stir in the shredded Gruyere.

Fold in the Crème Fraîche.

Beat the Eggs Whites to firm peaks.

Fold into the mixture.

Divide the mixture evenly among the 11 muffin-tin wells. (filling about 3/4 full)

Use water to fill any empty wells halfway full to prevent those wells from scorching.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops and edges of the bouchons are set.

Dislodge the bouchons by running a knife around the inside edges of their wells.
Let them sit for 2 or 3 minutes, then carefully extract them and transfer to individual plates with Bay Leaves, Lemon Leaves, Dill Sprig or Parsley Sprigs and a slice of Lemon to garnish.

Mangia!!
~~

Hanky Panko - Crusted Albacore Tuna

I was in a little bit of a hurry this evening, when I got home. Not only was I an hour late and still had to cook dinner, but I had promised a coworker a German's Chocolate Cake, and time is running out for me to deliver it. (more on that later). So in the essence of speed, I opted out of the original Risotto with Albacore, that I had originally planned for dinner.

Instead, I simply salted and peppered the albacore steak, sprinkled it with a touch of wasabi powder and pressed Panko into it, without a dredge or an egg wash. Fried it up in some Sesame oil and chowed down. Super simple, super quick, and super delicious!! (I was actually surprised that the Panko held so well to the fish)

Panko Crusted Albacore

Tuna steak (mine are usually about 1 inch thick)
Salt
Pepper
Wasabi powder
Panko
Toasted Sesame oil

Salt and pepper each side of the tuna steak, then sprinkle with a pinch of wasabi powder on each side as well.

Literally press the panko crumbs onto the surface of the steak.

Heat Sesame oil in a pan. (Yes, I used my omelet pan, cause I wasn't sure if the panko would stay on the fish)

Pan sear for about 2 - 2 1/2 minutes on each side.

(You should get a nice golden color on the panko)

Plate and enjoy!

Yum!

Mangia!!
~~

This left me with plenty of time to finish the cake as well.. But I have already blogged about German's Sweet Chocolate Cake... :)

Oh, and in case you noticed the "Fry Daddy" reflected in the oil of the pan... I was experimenting...

Did you know that it is a REALLY bad idea to drop a raw egg into a deep fryer? I just had to find out what would happen, cause I have never done it before... HA HA HA The white cooks SO fast that it puffs up, and if you don't get it out fast enough, the yolk explodes... Needless to say, I have to clean out my Fry Daddy now... (sigh) But you know the saying, "Nothing ventured, Nothing gained" ;)

Yuzu, Ponzu and Binchyou too - Sesame Seared Albacore with Ponzu Miso-Damari

Ponzu is a simple yet flavorful sauce. The Sauce usually served at your favorite sushi restaurant upon ordering the Seared Albacore. It is perfectly salty and tangy without being overpowering yet rich in Umami to add savoriness to any dish.

There is one problem though, Ponzu is made with Yuzu, an Asian citrus reminiscent of grapefruit with hints of orange sweetness but the acidity of a key lime or lemon. Extremely fragrant with floral notes, this fruit is seldom seen in the United States. Thus is my obstacle with making it at home. I am attempting to at least get close to Yuzu by mixing Grapefruit, Orange, and Key Lime juices for flavor with Meyer Lemon Zest and Makrut Lime Leaves for fragrance.

Yes, is would be a WHOLE lot easier if I could just find the fruit. LOL

Ponzu Miso-Damari and Ponzu Shoyu are the quick versions of this Japanese Sauce. True Ponzo is made with Mirin (Sweet Rice Wine) and steeped for 24-48 hours with the Bonito and Konbu. But in the essence of time constraints I have decided to make what is technically Ponzu "Soy sauce". Although, I have chosen to use Tamari instead of Shoyu (soy sauce) mainly because of current "brewing" practices. I am allergic to soy products, unless they have been fermented as with true Miso or Black Bean Paste (although I have recently discovered that manufacturers are cheating on the black bean paste as well).

Tamari is simply the liquid run-off collected during the pressing and fermentation of the soybeans while making Miso. Most soy sauce (shoyu) is made from Hydrolyzed Soy Protein instead of brewed from natural bacterial and fungal cultures. If the bottle says "Carmel Color", it's fake. This is the sort of thing I am allergic to -- Soy Protein Isolates & TVP being on the list as well.

There is a secondary issue, not so much for me, but I know for others. True Tamari is a wheat free product, thus a good choice for those who are eliminating gluten from their diets. Soy sauce contains wheat, even the fake stuff has wheat in it. If you see Tamari brewed with wheat listed on the label, then it is not real Tamari, but 'poser' Soy Sauce. This may or may not be intentional, there was a name brand of soy sauce called Tamari, thus where the confusion begins as the names have become somewhat synonymous with each other, but let me assure you they are VERY different products. Tamari is thicker and has a richer much more refined and subtle flavor, withough being overly salty like Soy sauce.

Ponzu Miso-Damari

1/4 cup Tamari (as opposed to Shoyu or Soy Sauce)
4 tsp Orange Juice
4 tsp Key Lime Juice
4 tsp Grapefruit Juice
1/2 tsp Meyer Lemon Zest
1 Makrut Lime Leaf (both lobes); Chiffonade
2 TB Rice Vinegar; Unseasoned
optional - 1 3 inch piece of Konbu (Kombu - Sea kelp)
optional - 1 1/2 tsp Bonito flakes (dried, flaked Yellow Fin Tuna; AKA Katsuobushi)

Before we get started, lets talk Makrut Lime leaves. The Makrut (Kaffir or Thai) Lime has a double lobed leaf.

First, these should be separated.

Fold the leaf over

and run your knife down the length of the stem to remove it. (cause you REALLY don't want that part)

Then lay the leaves in a stack and

slice as thinly as possible.

OK, Back to the recipe....

In a glass jar or measuring cup, combine all ingredients

and stir or shake gently.

Store covered in a cool dark place for 1 hour if using the bonito flakes.
If you skipped the Bonito, go ahead and refrigerate for 1 hour to let the flavors meld, then proceed.

Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth, discarding any citrus pulp solids and bonito flakes.

Store for 2 months in refrigerator.

Bring to room temperature before using it on.........

Sesame Black Pepper Seared Albacore (Binchyou)

This is not really a recipe... just a method. And yes, in case you were wondering about the title of this post, Binchyou is Japanese for Albacore Tuna. ;)

Albacore Steaks
Black Sesame Seeds
White Sesame Seeds
Cracked Black Pepper
Kosher Salt
Sesame Oil (for Rubbing and Searing)

First, dry the tuna with paper towels.

Fill a shallow dish with sesame seeds.

Rub with a little bit of Sesame oil.

Hit it with salt and cracked pepper.

Place, salt and pepper side down, into the sesame seeds; then rub the facing side with more sesame oil.

Hit it with salt and cracked pepper again.

Lift the Tuna steak and add more sesame seeds, then place the uncoated side down.

Add a little sesame oil to a skillet set over Medium heat.

Add the tuna and sear for about 2 minutes.

Flip and sear the other side for 2 more minutes (This really depends on teh thickness of your steak, mine was about 1 inch thick.)

Remove from pan and slice.
Arrange slices on a plate with Ponzu Miso-Damari and sprinkle with thinly sliced scallions if desired.

Mangia!!
~~

Rangoon Swoon – Tuna & Salmon Rangoons

I would crack the joke about being on a see food diet… (I see food, I eat it... Hardee Har Har) But I really DO love Sea Food… I even tried being Pescatarian at one point, although I started suffering from iodine overload and my Naturopath insisted I return to a more omnivorous way of eating. Be that as it may, I still have a fondness for all things from the waters of the planet -- Fish, Seafood & Shellfish. (OK, maybe not Sea Slug, but you get the idea). Dungeness and King Crab are at the top of the list along with Chinook Salmon, Olympia Oysters and Sea Scallops; all of which increase in price, exponentially, once you leave the vicinity of the Pacific NW Coast. Thus, in San Diego, I VERY rarely can afford GOOD Salmon or King Crab. Which is sad, because one of my favorite appetizers is a good Crab Rangoon…

Now, all that aside, have you ever had one of those V8 moments? You know, when you smack your forehead and say, “WOW! I could have had a V8” or “YOW! Maybe I shouldn’t have stuck a fork in the toaster”. Thus was the case the other day. No, I don’t mean the fork in the toaster thing. You see, I was reading my friend Bob’s blog… Do you know Bob? He cooks stuff. In fact, his blog is called “Cooking Stuff”, you should check it out. This dude is not only ingenious, but extremely industrious as well. He actually made Won Ton skins… I must, at this point, bow to his pastry prowess, for I would never even attempt such a thing. My forays into the world of Won Ton skin extends to a trip to the grocery store and a visit to the refrigerated section to obtain a package of prefab wrappers. What had me smacking my forehead though, was his inspired usage of said Won Ton. He made Rangoons, which are awesome to begin with, right? Well, it gets better... This is where the inspired part comes in... he used Tuna and Alouette. Absolute genius!! Thus it was, as I was picking my jaw up off the floor over the homemade Won Ton, that I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand exclaiming, "WOW! I could have had a Tuna Rangoon". Especially with good crab at such a premium and let’s face it… Rangoons are really all about the deep fried cheese anyway… ;)

So thanks to Bob’s ability to think outside the box, or rather, the shell, I have been enjoying a delicious avant-garde version of the standard Crab Rangoon (I also tried Lemon Pepper Salmon – AWESOME!!)

Rangoons

Won Ton Skins
1 beaten Egg White
1 can of Tuna or Salmon, even those little Salad Shrimp or chopped Smoked Oysters
6 oz Cream Cheese, Alouette, Boursin or even 3 oz Mascarpone with 3 oz Silver Goat
Optional - Herbs of your choice (I added ginger to the Tuna)
Lots and Lots o' Peanut oil heated to 375 degrees

Drain the canned seafood product (I happened to have picked up a can of Yellowfin with Garlic – it was on sale)

Place it in a bowl with Cream cheese or Alouette and mix it together with your herbs.

Lay out your Won Ton Skins,

and place 1 level TB of the filling in the middle and brush the edges with Egg white.

Bring the cross corners together.

Then fold up 1 side, pressing as much air out as possible.

Then fold up the final side, again, trying to get as much air out as possible.

(I can’t actually remember what they are suppose to look like, this is only an approximation from what I remember the last time I ordered them in a restaurant)

Once you have completed your Rangoons (I got 15 from each batch)

Grab something you can lower the Rangoons into the hot oil with (This is actually an old egg whisk of my grandmothers)

Lower them into the hot oil a few at a time.

Remove when golden brown, only about 30-45 seconds, and drain on a paper towel.

Let cool slightly before tearing into them, cause hot cheese sticks and continues to burn (I know, cause I lost 3 layers off the roof of my mouth – DOH!!)

It is extremely important that you get as much air out of them as possible, or they will float too high in the oil and not brown evenly.

The one on the left is one where I didn’t get all the air out. Oops!

For more tasty Won Ton goodness, you should check out Bob’s Apple Pot stickers.

Mangia!!
~~