Parisian Style Grilled Ahi Tuna Salad With A Soft Boiled Quail Egg Recipes

GRILLED AHI TUNA NICOISE SALAD

Steps:

• Trim the haricots verts, then blanch in boiling water and refresh in cold water. Drain and season with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme, to taste. Reserve in a bowl.
• Cut the onion into 1/4-inch round slices. In a small saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Saute the onions until caramelized, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Reserve in a bowl.
• In a small bowl, toss together the roasted peppers and 1/8 cup Nigoise Salad Dressing. Reserve.
• Cut the potatoes into 1/4-inch round slices. Place in a small bowl, add 1/4 cup Nigoise Salad Dressing, and toss until well blended. Reserve.
• In a small bowl, toss together the tomatoes and 1/8 cup Nigoise Salad Dressing. Reserve.
• To make crostini: Arrange the bread slices in a baking tray. Brush with olive oil and bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Allow to cool, then rub with garlic clove. For each of the crostini, spread 1 tablespoon Herbed Goat Cheese and top with 1 teaspoon Black and Green Olive Tapenade.
• In a small saucepan, over high heat, add the remaining 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and sear tuna fillets until all sides are brown, about 1 to 2 minutes, keeping the centers rare. Remove from heat and slice each tuna fillet into 5 round slices.
• In a medium mixing bowl, toss together the mixed baby lettuces with 1/4 cup Nigoise Salad Dressing.
• To serve, divide the haricots verts, onion, bell peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and olives into 6 portions. For each plate, arrange 3 portions of each ingredient by placing them in a clockwise fashion, starting with the haricots verts at 1, 5, and 9 o'clock positions near the rim of the plate. Continue to place the onion, bell peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and olives between the haricots verts. Place quail egg halves over the peppers and an anchovy over the potatoes. Mound half of the lettuce in the center of each plate. Arrange the tuna slices on the side of the salad and top the lettuce with the crostini.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, garlic, and shallots. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to emulsify. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and sugar. Refrigerate in a covered container. When ready to use, whisk again.
• Yield: 2 1/2 cups
• Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, Pizza, Pasta & More!, Random House, 2000 .
• In a food processor, combine all the ingredients, except the olive oil and crostini. Using the pulse button, process until coarsely chopped and well blended. Continue to process, slowly adding the olive oil. Refrigerate in a covered container. Spread on homemade crostini, recipe follows.
• Yield: 1 heaping cup
• Herbed Goat Cheese: 2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 (7 or 8-ounce) log goat cheese
• Combine the parsley, chives, thyme, and pepper and place on a flat surface. Roll the log of cheese in the mixture, coating all sides and retaining the shape of the log. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
• Yield: 1 log
• Oven-dried Tomatoes: 12 medium Roma tomatoes (2 pounds) 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus additional as needed 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves 6 garlic cloves, crushed 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• In a pot of boiling water, blanch tomatoes. Drain and refresh in ice water. Drain. Peel, core, cut into quarters, and remove seeds.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the tomato quarters on the tray, cut side down. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme and garlic. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and sugar, and sprinkle evenly over the tomatoes.
• Bake until the tomatoes begin to shrivel, about 1 hour. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, transfer to a container. Pour olive oil over and cover the container. Refrigerate and use as needed.
• Yield: 1 1/4 cups

GRILLED QUAIL SALAD

Steps:

• Combine the orange and lemon juice, bay leaves, crushed lemongrass, star anise, molasses, soy, chili, garlic and ginger and marinate the quail for several hours, or overnight, covered, in the refrigerator.
• To make the dressing for the salad, combine the mustard, vinegar and honey and whisk in the olive oil to create an emulsion.
• Remove the quail from the marinade and grill over an outdoor barbecue for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or cook over medium heat in a cast iron skillet for 10 to 12 minutes, turning frequently to avoid burning. Remove from the heat and let the quail rest for several minutes before serving.
• Toss the salad greens with the dressing and divide among 4 plates. Top each salad with 2 quail for a main course and garnish each with several slices of papaya and mango and sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds.

TUNA EGG SALAD MELTS

Steps:

• Heat the broiler to high and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Add the tuna, chopped eggs, celery, dill pickles, pickled jalapeños and scallions to a mixing bowl. Mix to incorporate and to break up any large chunks of tuna. Set aside.
• Add the mayonnaise, mustard and smoked paprika to a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the mayonnaise mixture to the tuna mixture and use a rubber spatula to mix until evenly combined. Season to taste.
• Arrange the bread on the foil-lined baking sheet. Divide the tuna mixture evenly among the slices of bread. Top the tuna with a few slices of tomato. Sprinkle the tomato with salt and pepper. Top the tomatoes with the pepper jack cheese.
• Transfer the baking sheet to the broiler and broil until the cheese is bubbling and melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Transfer the sandwiches to a cutting board, then slice in half and serve immediately.

PARISIAN TUNA SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Place the eggs in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and cool in a bowl of cold water.
• Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk in the olive oil. Put the rolls cut-side up on a work surface and lightly drizzle with a quarter of the dressing. Place the arugula on the roll bottoms. Top with the sliced tomato, onion and artichokes. Season with salt and drizzle with another quarter of the dressing.
• Drain the tuna, but leave lightly coated with oil. Toss the tuna in the remaining dressing, then divide among the sandwiches. Peel and thinly slice the hard-boiled eggs and layer the slices over the tuna. Top with the anchovy fillets, if desired, then the olives and radishes. Cover with the roll tops, pressing gently but firmly. Wrap the sandwiches in plastic wrap and place a skillet on top to weigh them down; set aside for at least 15 minutes so the bread absorbs the flavors.