Cookbook Challenge
This week’s challenge proved to be more challenging in many ways. Firstly, I did not own any Japanese cookbook and hardly have any real reference at all. Secondly, looking for the garnishes was a real challenge. I wanted to do justice to the recipe and felt a little pressure to get it absolutely right.
Thirdly, weeekends are usually packed with activities and I think I had bitten off more than I could chew this time. Pamela from My Man’s Belly was in Melbourne for a short visit and suggested that we catch up. Both of us discovered each other through a Food Exchange program. And it is exciting to meet a food blogger not from Australia but from LA! She is such a darling and bought us a really awesome food package. It was so good to meet her and have a different perspective on food and we enjoyed ourselves so much. I hope she did too! I cannot wait to cook up a storm with some of these goodies.
Awesome package from My Man's Belly
So in the midst of enjoying a great morning and afternoon with Pam and her friends, I was also in search of mache and the right goat cheese for this recipe. I would have loved to use one of the lovely fresh goat cheese from Holy Goat but as usual, I arrived too late at Gaswork. Then we headed to Prahran and was told by Damien Pike that mache was not in season. Discouraged.
My search continues late into the afternoon after we dropped Pam and her friends at the hotel. Most of the shops were closed by that time and thanks to @eatnik, I managed to find fresh purple shiso at KFL in Flemington. We quickly headed home and made this dish before our luicha dinner at a friend’s place. It was such a mad rush but it was all worth it at the end. 
Purple Shiso
This very simple and delicate recipe was taken from the book ‘My last supper’ by Melanie Dunea. It showcases 50 great chefs and their final meals. It was both relieve and inspiring to find that Tetsuya Wakuda was featured in this book. This man is definitely one of Australia’s great culinary export and Tetsuya is still sitting in the top 50 list of the world’s best restaurant. And hence, the little pressure of having to get this right.
Tetsuya reveals his final meal
Ingredients:
- 250g finely diced tuna
- 1tsp finely chopped anchovies
- 60g fresh goat cheese, finely chopped
- 3/4 tsp finely chopped chives
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp mirin
- 1 pinch of white peper
- 1 pinch pf sea salt
- 1 pinch of finely chopped garlic
- 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped ginger
- Shiso (Japanese mint) and also known as Perilla for garnish
- Mache (lamb lettuce) – This is not in season so I used snow pea sprouts for garnish
Fresh yellowfin tuna
Method:
Mix all ingredients together (except the garnishes) in a large bowl. Divide into small portions and serve with shiso and snow pea sprouts as garnishes.
Final dish of tuna and goat cheese
I am not sure if I had done this dish any justice. I tried finding the mildest goat cheese that I could find but I felt that it did over power the dish a little. It could probably pretty well without it. The balance of all the ingredients were all well measured. I would definitely make this again when I get hold of some mache. This is a great party dish to start with and I was quite please to have a little taste of Tetsuya at home – clean, simple and impactful on a single mouthful.
The list of yummy Japanese goodness from fellow bloggers:
Ange from Vicious Ange – Japanese rolled pork with plums, coriander, soy sauce & spring onions
Agnes from Off the Spork – Japanese mushroom noodles
Rilsta from My Food Trail – Teriyaki salmon
Silvermoon Dragon from Dragon Musings – Teriyaki beef with soba noodles
Rizka from ini, itu – Goujons of sole with dill mayonnaise
Shellie from Iron Chef Shellie – Sushi
Leigh from Chit Chat Chomp – Pork & lemongrass wontons; Chicken miso soup
Yen from Food for Four – Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake)
Kate from Something by Kate – Japanese eggplant slices
Carolyn from Gluten Shmooten – Beef & Vegetable rolls; Sushi rolls
Bri from Bri Eats – Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake)
Sarah from The Sugar Junkie – Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake)
Cherrie from Sweet Cherrie Pie – Matcha chiffon cake
Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can use marshmallow cream in a dish?
I love all the flavors in there. You’ve done beautifully and this recipe is definitely a keeper.
Oh, for a taste for that! Tetsuya in my kitchen … hmmm that’s a great way to start my Sunday morning! So nice to be able to meet up with fellow bloggers, ya?
The Little Teochew´s last blog ..David Rocco’s Drunken Pasta (Spaghetti Ubriachi)
i think i could eat tuna tartare every night of the week! looks amazing!
I like the look of this dish. It looks quite simple to make but has a very delicate appearance and the natural taste of the tuna should shine through.
Mark @ Cafe Campana´s last blog ..8 Days to Go! – Preview Post – Tomato, Goats Curd & Basil Penne
Beautiful combination!
MaryMoh´s last blog ..Condensed Milk Pine Nuts Slice
Such light and lovely dish! Bravo!
kristy´s last blog ..Vegetables Achar @ Pickled
Btw, wishing you ‘xin nien kuai le’ & ‘gong xi fatt chai’! All the best throughout the year of tiger.
Cheers,
Kristy
kristy´s last blog ..Vegetables Achar @ Pickled
Hehe yes having a bit of Tetsuya in the kitchen is a fine idea indeed! I do find goat’s cheese can be a bit too strong for a delicate flavour like tuna sashimi although this tends to differ with the brand.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella´s last blog ..Green Papaya Salad with Prawns
this looks great Penny, and well seasoned – glad to see you have a good creole seasoning…now there is no excuse to try some of my recipes…lol
Drick´s last blog ..Two Vegetable Casseroles
I hought of you when I saw the Creole seasoning! Of course, I will try one of your recipes. No excuses now
The simplicity is nice, and it looks so refreshing. Nice job!
Trix´s last blog ..Senegalese Yassa, My Way
Oh gosh, this sounds so good! I’ve been wanting to make a fish tartare/ceviche for ages, but haven’t felt comfortable enough with my fish being fresh enough.
Also, I was going to say “I hope you just gobble up the Reese’s cups in all their pure glory”, but now I’m kinda hoping you do cook with them… either way, yum!
Hannah´s last blog ..Glimpses of London, Part Two
Hmmm… I shall attempt to cook with it soon. The supplies are diminishing real quick
wow, that was such an effort on yr part for this week’s challenge. I followed your mache and shiso expedition on twitter all day! LOL. Great work with what ingredients you could get.
Cherrie´s last blog ..The Cook Book Challenge – Week 13 : Love
Mache not in season
– bummer given the rather extensive journey you went on to find some.
Looks fit for Tetsuya himself.
About a thousand moons ago I made a Brandy Alexander (yes like the cocktail) Cheesecake using marshmallow. Maybe you could you the marshallow cream for something like that?
Joanne @ secondhelping´s last blog ..Ripples Seafood & BBQ Restaurant
It was a journey but I was too stubborn to give up until I know that I have exhausted all avenues.
Cheesecake using marshmallow sounds super yum!
What a delicate dish, lovely flavours!
To be honest, I’ve heard of marshmallow cream!
pigpigscorner´s last blog ..Valentine’s Day Dinner Main – Roast Pork Belly on Pasta with Mustard Seed Sauce, Momofuku Style
oooh- pumpkin butter- how was that?
Love the presentation and looks ripe for a fast devouring. The goats cheese from Sth Melb Market rocks.
Adrian @ Food Rehab´s last blog ..The Hainanese Chicken Hunt: Chun Po vs. China Bar vs. Viet Star
Zomg that tuna is SEX. For the mouth I mean. That looks great, Penny
Gem´s last blog ..unassuming vegetarian fare
It seemed to be an exciting experience of both meeting a food blogger and finishing up a Japanese cuisine like this. Great!
Christine@Christine’s Recipes´s last blog ..Zucchini & Sweet Potato Frittata
That looks like a perfect little morsel. Delicious work!
Also, I feel your mache pain. I’ve been foiled TWICE this week in my search for gnocchi related ingredients as they’re not in season. Hmph. Still, think I’m on track now
Conor @ HoldtheBeef´s last blog ..The Dread Cap’n Conor turns One Score and Eight
You can’t go wrong with a fresh piece of tuna. I recently bought some truffle salt that I’m planning on dipping some tuna into. Your marinade sounds delicious.
Belle@OohLook´s last blog ..Lychee Panna cotta with Raspberry Jelly
Looks good! Shame about not being able to get your ingredients though =(
Marshmallow cream sounds like it just added 10kg to my butt
Iron Chef Shellie´s last blog ..Week 14 – The Cookbook Challenge: Sushi
I love the addition of that pretty purple shiso to the tuna tartare!
5 Star Foodie´s last blog ..Fiber One Blueberry Muffins Review and Giveaway
I never mixed tuna and goat cheese, I am curious about the combination! looks great though!
citronetvanille´s last blog ..More pesto stories – Penne with broccoli rabe-almond pesto and shrimps
GAH i love tuna tartar what a beautiful dish! It is so cool you got to meet up with a food blogger from LA — I laughed when I saw what she brought you, do you guys really not have marshmallow fluff in Australia (I only ask because I think almost every American family has a jar of this stuff in their pantry haha)? You could make some type of smores cookie/brownie/cakey type dish with the chocolate and fluff MMMmmmmmm!!!
Joy´s last blog ..Roasted Vegetable Salad with Fried Egg and Shaved Parmesan
Wow, you met in person by meeting through our Foodie Exchange group? That is too cool! Great challenge too..love fresh tuna.
Evelyne@CheapEthnicEatz´s last blog ..Vista or Windows 7…argh
Simple yet elegant, and no doubt a nice starter.
TasteHongKong´s last blog ..Turnip or Radish Cake with Chinese Sausages
Tetsuya knows how to do seafood really well. The tartare looks amazing! A great way to celebrate tuna! For marshmallow creme – suggest putting fresh fruit under it and then blowtorch the marshmallow!
Trissa´s last blog ..Just my luck!
very refreshing recipe, I had tuna tartare before and I was quite fond of it. I just love that your friend from LA sent you a great food package!
Oooh, look at that beautiful piece of tuna! Yum!
Rilsta @ My Food Trail´s last blog ..The Cookbook Challenge: Week 12 Eggs theme round up
There are many recipes online I’m sure to use the marshmallow fluff, but you have to try it on a peanut butter sandwich. Called a ‘fluffernutter’ I was put on to these back in ‘99 when my local Coles *did* stock Fluff. I wish I could find that stuff again now
SilverMoon Dragon´s last blog ..Menu Plan Monday
I’m sure that you did the dish justice! It looks great. And gosh that tuna is beautiful.
Agnes´s last blog ..Cookbook Challenge: Week 15, Muffins
Interesting post, having a little problem accessing the RSS feed. I would quite like to subscribe to your blog. Will try again tomorrow, hopefully it is fixed by then – Otherwise send me an e-mail and I might be able to help. Thanks, the guys from Family Guidebook