Seared Albacore And Peaches With Quinoa Haricots Verts And Pistou Food

ROASTED HARICOTS VERTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Trim the stem ends only from the haricots verts and place them on two sheet pans. Drizzle the beans with 2 tablespoons of the oil (total) and spread them out in one layer. Sprinkle them with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 10 minutes, until crisp-tender. Serve hot.

PERFECT HARICOTS VERTS

Steps:

• Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil over medium heat. Set up a bowl of ice water and season it generously with salt.
• Add the beans to the boiling water and cook them until they are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Bite a bean to be sure they are properly cooked. Put them immediately in the bowl of salted ice water to stop the cooking or to "shock" them. When they are cold, remove them from the water and let them dry a little.
• Coat a large saute pan with both clarified butter and olive oil. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat, add the shallots and brown. Add the haricot vert, season with salt and saute until all the beans are coated with oil and hot. Serve immediately or later at room temperature.

SEARED QUEBEC FOIE GRAS WITH OKANAGAN PEACHES

Steps:

• In saucepan bring wine, water and sugar to a boil. Peel and slice peaches into wedges. Remove boiling wine syrup from heat then add peach slices. Cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Remove peaches and reserve syrup in refrigerator for future use. Will hold about 1 week.
• In a small pot reduce the balsamic to 1/3. Remove from heat.
• For this dish you will need a non-stick pan. Take the foie gras out of the refrigerator. One thing I want to point out really quickly is you will need a warm knife. When you use the knife simply have a container of lukewarm water and place the knife in it and slice a 2-inch thick piece of foie gras, slice it and season with salt and white pepper. Take the non-stick pan, place it on a gas stove, on high. Take a knife and score the foie gras left to right and this will allow the fat to be released a little bit quicker and prevent it both from sticking and burning in the pan.
• Once the pan is lightly smoking, remove from heat for 1/2 a minute. Add dash of grapeseed oil. Place the foie gras in the pan score side down and place back over the heat. Continue to sear the foie gras for approximately 1 to 1 1/2 minutes making sure that the Foie Gras does not burn; turn over and cook the foie gras for a further 1 to 1 1/ 2 minutes on the other side. Remove from the heat and let rest for approximately 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in butter and lemon juice. Spoon peaches and syrup onto 4 plates, place foie gras on top of peaches and drizzle plate with reduction. To finish sprinkle a small pinch of fleur de sel on foie gras.

SEARED ALBACORE AND PEACHES WITH QUINOA, HARICOTS VERTS AND PISTOU

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until all the water is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add olive oil, and toss to mix. Cover and keep warm.
• Place a large pot of lightly salted water over high heat to bring to a boil. Set aside a large bowl filled with water and ice.
• Add haricots verts to boiling water and blanch just until bright green, about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out beans (reserving boiling water) and transfer to ice water to chill. Using the slotted spoon, transfer beans to a colander (reserving ice water) and drain.
• Add basil, parsley and tarragon to boiling water. Blanch 2 minutes, then drain and transfer to ice water to chill. Drain again. Place herbs in a kitchen towel and roll gently to remove excess water. Chop coarsely and place in a blender. Add garlic and 1/2 cup grapeseed oil. Blend until very smooth. Place haricot verts in a bowl, and toss with 2 tablespoons of the herb purée (known as pistou) and lemon juice to taste, reserving remaining pistou and juice.
• Place a large sauté pan over medium heat, and add 1/4 cup grapeseed oil. Sear peaches, cut sides down, until caramelized and golden brown, about 3 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside. Clean pan and return to high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil. Season tuna with salt and pepper to taste. Add to pan and sear sides and edges so the center remains raw, 30 seconds to 1 minute each side, pressing tuna against side of pan to sear edges. Remove from heat, slice thinly, and season with lemon juice and salt to taste.
• To serve, spread quinoa across 4 serving plates. Top with haricot verts mixture. Arrange peach halves on top. Fan the sliced tuna on the plates, and garnish with pistou as desired.

HARICOTS VERTS

Steps:

• Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside. Bring a 4-quart pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Add the haricots verts and blanch until vibrant, about 5 minutes.
• Drain in a colander, then submerge in the bowl of ice water. Drain and arrange in a serving bowl. Add salt and lemon juice, toss, and serve family style.

SEARED HALIBUT WITH HARICOTS VERTS, SCALLIONS, AND WHITE WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a pot of boiling salted water set over high heat, cook the haricots verts for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender. Drain and place them in the center of a large, warm serving platter. Cover and keep warm.
• Season the halibut on both sides with salt and pepper. In a 12-inch saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the fish for about 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Turn, reduce the heat to medium, and cook about 4 minutes longer, until the fish is opaque in the center and browned on both sides. Put the fish on the platter with the beans and cover to keep warm.
• Pour off any oil in the pan and add the wine and lemon juice. Raise the heat to high and deglaze the pan by scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Cook until the sauce reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat and stir in the butter, a piece at a time, to enrich and flavor the sauce. Add the scallions, capers, and tomato. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over the fish on the platter. Serve immediately.

SEARED HALIBUT W/ HARICOTS VERT, SCALLIONS AND WHITE WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a pot of boiling salted water set over high heat, cook the haricots verts for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender. Drain and place them in the center of a large, warm serving platter. Cover and keep warm.
• Season the halibut on both sides with salt and pepper. In a 12-inch saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the fish for about 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Turn, reduce the heat to medium, and cook about 4 minutes longer, until the fish is opaque in the center and browned on both sides. Put the fish on the platter with the beans and cover to keep warm.
• Pour off any oil in the pan and add the wine and lemon juice. Raise the heat to high and deglaze the pan by scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Cook until the sauce reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat and stir in the butter, a piece at a time, to enrich and flavor the sauce. Add the scallions, capers, and tomato. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over the fish on the platter. Serve immediately.
• My modifications: I double the wine and capers and decrease the amount of butter to 1/4 cup. If I have time, I marinade the fish for an hour in wine, olive oil, garlic, fresh rosemary and thyme.