V-Day

Daniel and I celebrated our first V-day as a married couple on Wednesday. It was terribly cold, so we stayed in and cooked a 'fancy' dinner and dessert and watched LOST. There is a new fish market in town, so I bought some grade A1+ tuna steaks from there. It was not cheap, but was definitely delicious! I found a recipe on thenest.com for a peppercorn crusted seared ahi tuna with creamy wasabi sauce and it was sooooo easy and VERY good. I eat sushi very rarely, so I was a little worried about how I would like the seared tuna, but it was fantastic. It was so tender, and the spice from the peppercorn was a great contrast for the wasabi sauce. I served mashed potatos and a coleslaw salad with toasted almonds on the side. Although the fish about broke the bank, I would definitely make this recipe again. I also plan to use the wasabi sauce on salmon in the future. For dessert I made a weight watchers version of Brennan's bananas foster and served it over homemade crepes with fresh whipped cream. I, of course, forgot to take a picture of the desert, but it was very good. I will post both recipes for anyone wanting to give them a try. To top off this beautiful meal, Daniel surprised me with a single rose and a gift card to David Austin roses, so I can get some bushes for the yard! It was a very thoughtful and romantic gift, and I can't wait to get my roses ordered! I'll have to say....this was probably the best V-day I've ever had! I sure do love that man of mine! (and good food too)

Pan-Seared Ahi Tuna With Wasabi Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons black, white, or mixed whole peppercorns

3/4 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

2 pounds fresh ahi tuna fillets

1 cup Chardonnay

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt(or to taste)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 to 3 teaspoons wasabi powder (or more to taste) stirred into a paste in 1 or 2 teaspoons of water; or 2 to 3 teaspoons wasabi paste

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
Crack the peppercorns and coriander seeds and spread on a plate. Press the tuna steaks into them firmly on both sides to coat them with the spice mixture. Set the tuna steaks aside. Make the sauce. Bring the wine to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat and continue boiling until it has reduced by half its volume, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the cream and continue boiling until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the lemon juice and kosher salt. Using a whisk, beat in the butter a piece at a time until the sauce is thick and glossy. Whisk in the wasabi paste and continue stirring until it is thoroughly combined with the sauce. Taste the sauce and, if necessary, add a little more salt or wasabi.

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the tuna fillets and cook them until done rare to medium-rare as you like, 1 minute or a little longer on each side. Remove from the heat and cut crosswise into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick slices. Spoon the sauce attractively onto individual heated serving plates or a platter. Arrange the slices of tuna overlapping on top of the sauce in the center of the plate. Serve immediately.

BANANAS FOSTER
This is our version of the classic dessert created at Brennan's restaurant in New Orleans.
1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons brown sugar Juice of 1 orange A healthy pinch of cinnamon 2 ripe but firm bananas, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices 2 tablespoons rum 2 scoops non-fat vanilla yogurt or ice cream
Put butter and sugar in a skillet over medium heat stirring with a wooden spoon until sugar starts to caramelize. Add orange juice, cinnamon and mix to smooth. Add bananas, coat well and cook 1 minute. Add rum, flame and cook, swirling mixture until flames subside and mixture begins to thicken. Spoon over frozen yogurt or ice cream in a goblet or cut glass dessert dish. Serves 2.
Cooking Tip: Flambéing isn't hard or dangerous as long as you follow a few simple rules: a)Use only the amount of alcohol called for in the dish, b)Don't wear loose clothing or have hair dangling, and c)Have a large cover close by to snuff out the flames if they get out of hand.