Master Class, Menu #12 | 11:09 am | 27 October 2004
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, vol. 1
Sorry about the shitty photograph and unforgivable plating.
Thon à la Provençale, pp. 219-20
Tuna Steaks with Wine, Tomatoes and Herbs
Finally something a little colorful. This was fairly straightforward: brown the tuna steaks, then make a sauce from tomatoes, onions, herbs and wine; braise fish forfuckingever in oven. Beautiful, think, ruby red tuna steaks, cooked the hell out of. And you know? It was great.
Carrottes à la Forestière, pp 478-479
Brasied Carrots with Artichoke Hearts and Mushrooms
Interesting (and when I say “interesting,” I mean “annoying”), in that all three vegetables are cooked separately then tossed together with a fillip of bouillon. JC hints a useful trick: “If you are using frozen artichoke hearts…” I am now on the hunt for these, as frozen hearts would save much time, hassle, and (hopefully) expense; artichokes require no small amount of preparation.
The Wine
Stump Jump Riesling / Sauvignon Blanc /Marsenne, $8.50
Not French but not bad!
The Reviews
For tuna that had the hell cooked out of it, this was awesome. I generally sear tuna with sesame, then serve it rare with a ginger-soy sauce; this was quite a departure. Russ liked it better than any tuna he’s ever had, and that’s saying something, considering his sushi tooth. The vegetables were really, really good — worth the hassle of the artichokes, though I will be looking for frozen artichoke hearts for next time.
October 27th, 2004 at 3:12 pm
Say – what kind of tuna did you use for this, or do you think it matters? I have a couple of frozen ahi tuna steaks that I also usually do the “seared and served rare” thing with, but I’ve been eyeing this same recipe in Julia’s book. It does sound good. Wondering if it makes a difference whether it’s ahi or albacore tuna, since Julia doesn’t say.
October 27th, 2004 at 3:42 pm
I don’t think it matters what tuna you use; however, next time I won’t be using $14/lb. tuna! It was raining, and the store with a better market was more of a hike than I wanted to make. You should totally make this, regardless!
October 29th, 2004 at 9:29 am
Don’t worry about wasting good tuna on this recipe. The better the tuna the better it’s gonna be when you eat it, despite the well-cooked nature of the dish. I could definitely tell a difference between the $9 and $14/lb tuna on the two consecutive nights we had this dish. Go for the best tuna you can justify the cost of. You don’t have to buy the sushi grade stuff, but just like beef, go for the best you can get! You won’t be disappointed.