"Fish is meant to tempt as well as nourish, and everything that lives in water is seductive." Jean-Paul Aron
Last weekend there was a Food and Restaurant expo in town. Mostly dedicated to restauranteurs - with any kind of equipment you could think of finding in a restaurant's kitchen. I felt like a kid let into a toy store - wanted to see, touch and try everything! Yet the best spectacle was watching a team of best chefs in Lithuania preparing a three course meal for 110 diners! They had 6 hours to prepare - I was standing there watching their last hour prior to plating. The view was mesmerizing - an amazing example of team work, concentration and fellowship. Simply watching them work and do their thing - what they are so accustomed to in their daily routines - there are so many small things to learn from!
The menu they were preparing sounded beyond mouthwatering! Not even talking about the view!
Appetizer: Pan seared fillet of cod served on the bed of caramelized carrot puree with cod mousse, langoustine coo-ked in vanilla flavored butter, picked carrots a langoustine broth cream, cardamom and yogurt sphere, cucumber noodles, sweet pea cream, dill oil, apple and squid crisp.
Main course: Dry aged venison fillet with mushroom mousse wrapped in crispy crimponette served with game liver pa-te and herb crust, butternut squash gratin, marinated beetroot textures, caramelized parsnip puree, crispy shallots, lingonberry foam, warm spinach jelly, smoked vegetable variation and venison jus.
Dessert: White and dark chocolate cake with barley ice cream, vegetable puree a candy floss with herbs and crus-hed meringues, beetroot sponge with fruit jam and red wine marinated apples. Accompanied by fresh mint panna cotta in white chocolate sphere and jelly of birch sap with buckthorns, chocolate construction.
When I left I was so so so inspired to make something! Went straight for grocery shopping. With many ideas what to make, went straight to the fish stand and my whole plan of making something different changed when I saw an amazing piece of fresh tuna! To me personally that is one of the best fish! Decided to go for tuna tartare!
* 300 g fresh tuna filet
* 1 small sweet potato
* 2 quail eggs
* Balsamic cream with truffles
* Salt'n'pepper
* 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Dice the sweet potato and fry it in a bit of oil with salt'n'pepper to taste. In the meantime slice tuna into half centimeter cubes. My personal preference is to feel the texture of the fish - I don't like the minced consistency. Layer with sweet potato on the bottom, with tuna followed on top.
The interesting part was to get that tiny egg not to stick to the pan, to hold the yolk and to cook it short enough to have it runny. With the sunny side up egg on top, drizzle a bit of balsamic cream and enjoy!
I swear I could eat this every day of the week.
Bon appetit!
