Seared Ahi Tuna with Turnips and Snap Peas in Lemongrass-Ginger Fumet
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Given that I try to maximize the yield of the veggies we get in our produce box, this may seem an odd decision. But when I saw the turnips, I was instantly reminded of Tom's Vegetables Round & Pointy at his winter party. Turnip, meet melon baller.
Once I decided on this preparation, the rest of this Saturday night dinner came together. If you're going to have round things on a plate, for visual contrast you want something square (or I do, anyway). And what more trite squares can you imagine than ahi tuna? My butcher/fishmonger even sells it pre-cubed, though I bought a steak and chopped it myself.
The ahi tuna suggested an Asian direction—as Asian as a mostly French cook gets—and so I decided to make a "sauce" of fumet (fish stock) infused with ginger and lemongrass, which I ladled into the bowls around the ingredients. Not a soup, just a bowl with broth in the bottom. I blanched and shocked the turnip orbs, along with the sugar snap peas (a last-minute addition to provide color and yet another different shape), and then reheated them in butter just before service.
A lot of should'ves with this dish. Should've seasoned the tuna more before searing. Should've seared it less. Should've heated the bowls. Most heartbreaking, should've bought some bread to soak up the yummy broth. But overall, a nice combination that I'll probably re-use for an opener at some point.
We drank the last bottle of our 2002 Griffin Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. The bracing acidity we remember has mellowed and the grapefruit and pineapple in the nose have softened to include banana notes. Not a wine meant to age, it was perhaps slightly past its zenith (at least when I liked it best), so it was good to drink it when we did.
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