This was frozen yellowfin tuna from Trader Joe's, thawed in the fridge during the day, seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper, seared on each side for 3-4 minutes and then baked in the oven for a another 15 or so. I served it over asparagus, which was blanched and then placed in the oven together with the tuna. (Blanching, it turns out, is boiling as quickly as possible, ideally without loosing the boil when the vegetables are dropped in, using a ton of salt (a cup per gallon, to be precise), and then quickly cooling the veg in an "ice bath": all to preserve the vibrant green color.)
What made this dish stand out, though, was the sauce, the beurre blanc ("white butter").
To make it (or one of many variations of it), bring to a boil and then simmer a mixture of white wine and white (or red) wine vinegar, with herbs and shallots thrown in. When the liquid is reduced to a tablespoon or so, add cream and reduce some more. Then, start whisking in pieces of butter one-by-one. (The recipe I used called for a whopping 8 ounces. Is that a typo or am I a wimp? At any rate, I used a quarter of that with excellent results.) When about to serve, mix in a couple tablespoons of stock and some minced chives.
- 2/3 cup white wine
- 1/3 cup white/red wine vinegar
- 2-3 sliced shallots
- 2 tsp minced parsley
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup "heavy" cream
- 2 oz butter
- 2 tbsp stock
- 1 tbsp minced chives