Ahi Tuna Parfait - Lets talk what I made last weekend

I was thinking when I downloaded these pictures that I am a crappy picture taker. I was then analyzing why that may be. I am artistic so that wasn't it. I have a good eye so that wasn't it. My camera is decent...yup. I came to the conclusion that my lighting is bad. HOWEVER, and I mean HOWEVER... I am not inclined to get a lighting set up to photograph my food. That would mean I had a passion for photography, which I don't. I hate taking pictures. I love cooking. I love writing. I am not sure if I will ever make it as a REAL food blogger. So you know what that makes me? A fake food blogger that loves cooking and loves my readers because they read my stuff even though I have crappy pictures.

Oh yes, my family sometimes read my blog too. Sorta. They never mention it because A) They probably think I am eating poorly because what I post up here and B) I think they may be a little embarassed of me. "Oh that Janis, you know she always says silly things". Youngest child syndrome.... Ya know. Uh oh, I may have shared too much here just because I wanted you to see this picture:



Now see the dish was amazing. We have made it before. It is from my Crush's cookbook "Blue Ginger". There is a problem here though. Evidence One: Blue towel sitting in picture. Not a good thing but I am too busy cooking to really stage what we are making. I don't think you can really cook for company AND take awesome pictures unless your guests really don't mind you playing with their food. Evidence Two: Stick of butter sitting there. What the hell is up with that? Evidence Three: Goo on the cutting board that subject is sitting on. Oh well... Lets move on. I will never be on anyones "top 10" list. That doesn't matter though because my eaters think I am tops.



We went to Whole Foods to get this Sushi grade tuna. It was a good piece of fish.



It was diced up and kept on ice until ready to use (like in the next 5 minutes).



Layers of tabiko and caviar and ahi are tamped down in a mold. After unmolding, cream is put on the top with the garnish of chive. I can not tell you how much I love this dish. Almost as much as I love Ming.



Ahi Tuna Parfait
Blue Ginger Cookbook - Ming Tsai
Ingredients
Vinaigrette:
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon wasabi tobiko
Salt and fresly ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 pound #1 grade ahi tuna, cut into very small dice
3 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives, plus 8 whole chives
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces wasabi tobiko
2 ounces osetra caviar

Directions

1. To make the vinaigrette, combine the mustard, vinegar, oil, and tobiko in a small bowl. Season with the salt and pepper and whisk lightly.

2. In a small chilled bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Reserve.

3. Fill a large bowl with ice. Place a medium bowl in the ice and add the tuna, Tabasco sauce, chopped chives, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix lightly.

4. Spray the insides of four 1- to 1 1/2-inch ring molds, or tuna cans with tops and bottoms removed, with nonstick cooking spray. Layer the tuna mixture and caviars in the molds as follows: one-eighth of the tuna, one-fourth of the tobiko, one-eighth of the tuna, one-fourth of the osetra. Press down lightly on the parfaits after each layer with the bottom of a Tabasco bottle (it's the perfect size) or the butt end of a whisk. Top the layers with a thin layer of the cream, smooth to cover, and unmold cream side up onto white serving plates. Or use the Tabasco bottle to push the parfaits from the bottom, then carefully lift them onto a plate.

5. Garnish each portion with 2 chives. Drizzle the vinaigrette around and serve with demitasse spoons.