Tuna and Crab Tian with Yuzu Vinaigrette is another one of our signature dishes that people ask me about often. I created it a few summers ago specifically for the James Beard Foundation's Chefs & Champagne event honoring Thomas Keller. It has since become a summer staple on our menu at the Plaza Cafe.
Servings - approx. 4
Avocado Puree:
Avocados, ripe - 3 ea.
Jalapeno, minced - 1 ea.
Red onion, minced - 1T
Cilantro, chopped - 2T bunch
Limes, juice of - 3-4 each
Olive oil - 2-3 T
1. Combine all ingredients in a mortar and pestle (or bowl) and mash until well combined; adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Tuna Tartar:
Tuna, sushi grade, minced - 8 ozs.
Cucumbers, peeled, minced - 2T
Scallions, minced - 2T
Ginger, grated - 1T
Mirin - 1tsp.
Sesame oil - dash
1. Lightly combine all ingredients in a bowl and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Crab 'Ceviche':
Crabmeat, jumbo lump - ½ pound
Red pepper, minced - 1T
Red onion, minced - 1T
Scallion, minced - 1T
Garlic, minced - 1/2 T
Lemon, juice of - 1T
Siracha sauce - 1 tsp.
1. Lightly combine all ingredients without breaking up crabmeat and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper
Yuzu Vinaigrette:
Yuzu juice - ¼ C
Shallots, minced - 1 tsp.
Jalapeno, minced - ½ T
Olive oil, extra virgin - 6T
1. In Vita Prep or blender, combine first three ingredients and then emulsify with olive oil.
Presentation:
1. Using a 3'' ring mold layer portion avocado puree, tuna tartar and then crab 'ceviche' in mold allocating 1/3 of capacity to each and gently pressing down on each layer with the back of a spoon.
2. Remove ring mold vey slowly.
3. Garnish top of presentation with some micro mizuna.
4. Right before service or at the table, drizzle approximately 1-2 ounces of yuzu vinaigrette over entire presentation.
And now for Christopher's Perfect Pairings
This is truly my favorite dish that Chef Doug created some years ago for The James Beard Foundation's Chefs & Champagne event honoring Thomas Keller. Every time I find myself at The Plaza Café I can't resist this one. I recommend it to my co-diners every time. We are often challenged when it comes to any dish that includes a vinaigrette, lemon or lime juice, but I have had this dish enough times to know that Riesling works best. Have fun with this one. I have paired it with Kabinetts to Spatleses, and I have enjoyed them all, although I do prefer the sweeter ones with this dish. Here are some selections that will certainly impress your guests.
2008 Hermann Donnhoff Riesling Spatlese Schlossbockelheimer Kupfergrube $49.95 - 94 RP
"Donnhoff's 2008 Schlossbockelheimer Kupfergrube Riesling Spatlese is explosively bright, saturating and invigorating the palate with pineapple, lemon, and distilled pit and black fruits. Tart notes of berry skin and pungent citrus zest tickle the tonsils, while the refreshing diversity of fruits and berries remains transparent to saline, smoke, nut oil, and meat stock nuances. Reflecting its name, this is certainly a brilliant flash in a coppery pan. But you can also expect it to gain and to remain exciting over at least the next two decades. Fruit from the Felsenturmchen portion of Felsenberg can achieve this sort of balance, too, Donnhoff acknowledges, but at least for this year, he remarks, it was enough to let Kupfergrube do it." ~ Robert Parker
J. J. PRÜM Riesling Auslese Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Wehlener Sonnenuhr $47.95 - 93 WS
"Aromatic, offering smoke, slate, peach and floral aromas and picking up a lime accent on the palate. Lighter than air, with a silky texture and a long, tangy aftertaste. There's a nice combination of intensity and delicacy. Drink now through 2030. 1,500 cases made." ~ Wine Spectator
2010 A J Adam Dhronhofberger Riesling Feinherb $36.99 - 92 RP
"In addition to its modest residual sugar (by no means precluding what I would call a "dry taste")?..Palpable extract richness and subtle silkiness are combined with a ravishing sense of levity (at 11.5% alcohol); and zesty, tartly fruit-skin-like, spicy tactile impingements lend energy and invigoration to a matrix that by turns suggests white peach, apple, quince, and mirabelle alluringly mingled with rich, piquant nut oils and (metaphorically) cooling herbal essences. A faint aura of high-toned distillate and wood smoke as well as a stony, smoky, and mouthwateringly saline mineral undertones add intrigue to this long-finishing beauty that I suspect will prove fascinating and delectably versatile for at least the next 12-15 years." ~ Robert Parker