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Menu Plan for Winter I: Week 10, Friday

Cheese Flans with Spinach Salad
Pan-Seared Tuna with Capers
Basmati Rice with Mushrooms
Crisp Sautéed Sunchokes

Cooking time:  40 minutes for menu          Cooking schedule: see below for instructions

      If you like rare ahi get the best tuna you can find (and afford). But the sauce makes even the lesser tunas taste delicious.  Sunchokes are the same as Jerusalem artichokes.

Cheese Flans with Spinach Salad

Total time: 40 minutes 
    Cheese and eggs can be combined in so many ways.... These are not as light as a soufflé but lighter than a frittata.

 Ingredients:

• Flans:
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup (2oz, 60gr) ricotta cheese
• 1 tbs whole grain mustard
• 2oz (60gr) cheese, chevre, Brie, Cheddar
• 1 slice Prosciutto
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• Salad:
• 3oz (90gr) fresh spinach, mâche or other spring greens
• 1 tbs Dijon-style mustard
• 1 tbs white Balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbs good olive oil

 Instructions:

• Prepare ramekins:
• Butter and line the bottom with buttered wax or parchment paper (see techniques ).
• Flans:
• Slice or cut cheese to fit into ramekin. Place cheese in bottom of ramekins.
• Roughly chop Prosciutto and arrange around edges of cheese.
• Whisk eggs, ricotta, mustard and basil together.
• Spoon egg mixture into ramekins.
• Put ramekins into a roasting pan with deep sides - I use a metal bread pan, and add hot water (hot tap water is fine) so that it comes half way up the sides of the ramekins.
• Bake for 30 minutes at 400F (200C) - they should be set - firm on top and starting to brown.
• Remove from oven and from hot water.
• Salad:
• Wash spinach if necessary, spin dry using a salad spinner, tear and put into a large salad bowl.
• Whisk together vinegar and mustard.
• Slowly add olive oil, whisking constantly until vinaigrette is thick and creamy.
• Add spinach and toss well to coat - tongs work well.
• To finish: Arrange salad on 2 plates.
• Run a table knife around the sides of the flans to loosen (if necessary). 
• Put a small plate over top of ramekin and flip over.
• Remove ramekin, and paper from top (formerly bottom) of timbale.
• Carefully turn back so top is up.
• Place flans next to salad and serve.

Pan-Seared Tuna with Capers

Total time: 15 minutes 
     This is best with good sushi-grade tuna that is quickly seared on both sides and cool or just barely warm in the center.  If you get regular tuna you will need to cook it until it is closer to medium - well. Ask your fish monger (I love that word)... or the guy behind the counter.

 Ingredients:

• 2 tuna steaks, 6oz each (180gr)
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs capers
• 3 tbs chopped olives - kalamata or Greek black (or green if that is what you have)
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) cup white wine

 Instructions

• Mince garlic.
• Chop olives.
• Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add garlic, fennel seeds and sauté 1 minute.  Remove and reserve.
• Add tuna and sauté 3 - 5 minutes per side (depending on thickness - 3 minutes if 1 inch (2.5 cm), 5 minutes if 2 inch (5 cm)) for medium-rare, longer if you want them more done.
• Remove and cover with a lid or foil to keep warm.
• Return fennel and garlic to pan and add rest of ingredients.
• Bring to a boil and boil 2 minutes.
• Pour over tuna and serve.

Basmati Rice with Mushrooms

Total time: 20 minutes  
   Sautéed onions and mushrooms perk up fragrant Basmati rice for a lovely side dish.  Make with vegetable stock or water for a vegetarian version.

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (3.3oz, 95gr) Basmati rice
• 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 2oz (60gr) mushrooms
• 1/2 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tsp butter
• 1 tsp olive oil

 Instructions:

• Heat 1 tsp butter in a small skillet.
• Add rice and sauté, stirring for 2 - 3 minutes.
• Add stock and herbs, cover and cook rice for length of time on package.
• While rice cooks:
• Chop onion, mushrooms and mince garlic.
• Heat remaining 1 tsp of butter and oil in small skillet.  Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add garlic and mushrooms and sauté until everything is light brown, about 10 minutes longer.
• When rice is done, combine with mushroom/onion, fluff with a fork and serve.

Crisp Sautéed Sunchokes   

Total time: 30 minutes  
   Another easy way to fix this versatile vegetable. 

 Ingredients:

• 3 - 4 (7oz, 210gr) Jerusalem artichokes aka sunchokes 
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• sea salt, optional

 Instructions:

• Peel sunchokes using a vegetable peeler or knife if they are really gnarly.
• Slice 1/4" (.5cm) thick.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• When hot add sunchokes slices and quickly sauté until golden brown and crisp-tender, 7 - 9 minutes.
• Sprinkle with herbs and sea salt if using and serve.

Note: Sunchokes tend to discolor - if not cooking immediately, put in a bowl and coat with the olive oil.

Cooking Schedule: 40 minutes Assemble all food, utensils and serving dishes Utensils: measuring cups, spoons, knives, small saucepan with lid, small skillet, 2 large skillets, 2 ramekins, parchment or wax paper, baking pan, 2 bowls, salad bowl, whisk (used 2X), small plate Turn oven on, 400F (200C) Prepare ramekins Slice cheese, lay in ramekin Chop Prosciutto, lay around cheese Whisk, eggs, ricotta, herbs, mustard Spoon egg mixture into ramekins Put ramekins in pan, add hot water, bake Mince all garlic, divide Chop olives Chop onion, mushrooms Prepare spinach Make vinaigrette Peel sunchokes, slice, put in bowl with olive oil    Pause until within 5 - 7 minutes of flans being done Sauté rice in butter Add stock, herbs, cover, simmer Sauté onion for rice

Sauté garlic, fennel seeds for tuna Remove fennel, garlic to plate, take pan off heat Add spinach to vinaigrette, toss, arrange on plates Remove flans Add garlic, mushrooms to onion, stir, turn off heat Reduce heat under rice Remove flans from ramekins, arrange by spinach Serve Cheese Flans Done? Heat skillet for sunchokes Check rice - either fluff or increase heat Sauté sunchokes Reheat skillet for tuna Put onion, mushrooms back on heat Sauté tuna Add rice to onion, mushrooms skillet, heat through Turn tuna Turn sunchokes Remove tuna, cover to keep warm Add fennel, garlic, etc. to skillet, simmer, reduce Spoon caper sauce over tuna Finish sunchokes Serve all

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