In the hands of James Beard 2003 ‚“Best Chef‚” Eric Ripert, the humble tuna salad achieves perfection . Thin seared slices of tuna are arranged on a bed of greens and chopped mixed herbs, dressed with truffle vinaigrette. The tuna is seasoned with rock salt, pepper, and thyme, then seared; when sliced, the red center is revealed, surrounded by the seared edges. Infused truffle oil and balsamic vinegar add a final touch to the plates.

Serves 4

Vinaigrette
1 black truffle, chopped
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon truffle juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Tuna
One 12-ounce tuna loin, about 1 inch thick
Ground rock salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh thyme
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salad
4 cups assorted greens
1 cup chopped mixed herbs (chervil, mint, basil, dill, tarragon, and parsley)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette

To prepare the vinaigrette: Place the chopped truffle in the oil and warm over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside and let the truffle infuse the oil. Strain, reserving the chopped truffle and the infused oil separately. When the oil is again room temperature, proceed with the recipe.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, truffle juice, and mustard. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the infused truffle oil, a little at a time, until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To prepare the tuna: Season the tuna on both sides with thyme, rock salt, and pepper. Spoon the olive oil over the tuna.

Preheat a large grill pan, saute pan, or skillet over high heat. Sear the tuna for 1 minute; turn and sear for 45 seconds. Remove from heat.

To prepare the salad: Toss the greens with the chopped mixed herbs and reserved chopped truffle. Add the vinaigrette and toss to coat.

To serve: Cut the tuna into thin slices; it will be very rare in the center. Mound dressed greens in the center of each salad place. Arrange slices of tuna on one side of the salad mixture. Drizzle the remaining infused truffle oil and balsamic vinegar around the tuna.

Red currant jelly and Dijon mustard make a wonderful marinade for lamb chops. At Richard Perry Restaurant in St. Louis, they serve the chops with shallot-butter sauce and grilled vegetables, also included with this recipe.

Serves 4

2 cups red currant jelly
2 cups Dijon mustard
16 lamb chops, French cut

Combine the jelly and mustard in a saucepan and simmer about 5 minutes. Cover and refrigerate. Submerse the lamb chops in the chilled marinade for 30 minutes.

Grill the chops over direct heat to medium rare, turning and basting periodically with the marinade. Cooking time depends on the heat of the fire. Serve topped with Shallot Butter Sauce and accompanied by Grilled Vegetables (recipes follow).

Shallot Butter Sauce
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup minced shallots
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2-1/4 pounds unsalted butter, chilled and diced

Reduce the wine, vinegar, shallots, salt, and pepper in a saute pan over high heat until only enough liquid is left to moisten the shallots. Add the butter, a little at a time, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and stir to finish melting the butter to form a creamy consistency. Serve immediately, or transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate. Gently reheat or allow to warm gradually to room temperature.

Grilled Vegetables
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/4 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced

combine the ingredients in a bowl and use as a marinade for seasonal fresh vegetables. Some suggestions include a combination of halved new potatoes, split zucchini, peeled and quartered (lengthwise) carrots, wax beans, and red bell pepper strips. Marinate vegetables for 5 to 10 minutes, then grill in sequence from longest to cook to shortest to cook, so that all finish at about the same time.

Elegant, delicious, yet still a simple preparation: daurade fillets are sauteed, then finished in the oven and served over slender French green beans with a Bearnaise sauce which uses no eggs and spoonfuls of sauteed cepe mushrooms. Daurade, also called dorado, is a delicate fish well-suited to sauteing.

Serves 4

Yellow Tomato Coulis
4 yellow tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Sugar to taste

Eggless Bearnaise Sauce
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
5 ounces yellow tomato coulis (above)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon minced tarragon

French Beans
2 cups French or baby green beans

Cepes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces cepe mushrooms
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Daurade
4 tablespoons unsalted butter or 1/4 cup olive oil
Four 4-ounce daurade fillets, skin on

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Garnish
4 tarragon sprigs

To make the coulis: Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spread the tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast 8 to 10 minutes, until softened. Remove and taste for sweetness; adjust with sugar. Puree in a blender and strain through a fine-meshed sieve. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour; the coulis may be made a day ahead.

To make the sauce: Combine the shallot and vinegar in a small saute pan and cook over medium heat until the shallot is softened and the liquid has reduced to the consistency of syrup. Stir in the yellow tomato coulis and continue cooking until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, a little at a time, until melted and incorporated.

To prepare the French beans: Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and add the beans. Let the water return to a boil and cook about 3 minutes; remove from heat, drain, and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

To prepare the cepes: Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat and saute the mushrooms until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

To prepare the daurade: Preheat the oven to 450 F. Heat half of the butter or olive oil in a medium saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add two of the daurade pieces, skin-side down, and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and set aside. Repeat with the remaining butter or olive oil and daurade. Place the daurade fillets in a baking pan or ovenproof skillet and bake until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from oven.

To serve: Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat and warm the beans in the butter. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat and warm the cepes. Rewarm the sauce and whisk in the chopped tarragon. Divide the beans among the plates, placing them in the centers of the plates, and top each with a daurade fillet. Spoon sauce around the daurade. Place spoonfuls of cepes in the sauce. Garnish each plate with a tarragon sprig.

Salmon Carpaccio
Ramiro Rodriguez Pardo
Restaurant Catalinas
Buenos Aires, Argentina

It´s easy to see why this beautiful array of crisp greens topped with salmon and shrimp carpaccio is so popular at Restaurant Catalinas. Healthy, low in calories, and full of fresh sea flavor, it is the perfect beginning for any lovely dinner. The nice thing is that you can prepare and set aside the salad plates ahead of time, and pack the carpaccio in molds and refrigerate them. At the last minute, turn out the molds, add the lemon slices and chives, garnish the tops, and you´re ready to serve.

Serves 4

Greens

• 32 – inner leaves of endive
• 20 arugula leaves
• 28 spinach leaves
• 20 dark red lettuce leaves
• 32 whole chives

1-3/4 pounds fresh salmon fillet, skin and bones removed

• 1 pound fresh shrimp, shelled and cleaned
• Juice of 4 lemons
• 2 – fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 4 sprigs fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of grated fresh gingerroot
• 20 to 24 fresh chives, minced
• 1 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 lemon

To prepare the greens: Wash green leaves thoroughly and pat dry. – Set aside on a paper towels.

Cut the shrimp and the salmon fillet into small square pieces, about 1/4-inch. Put them into a chilled bowl with the lemon juice. Add the tomato, dill, freshly grated ginger, and half of the minced chives. Toss to blend. Stir in the half of the olive oil and season with salt, and pepper. Stir in more olive oil, a little at a time, until the mixture holds its shape well. Taste; adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour in the refrigerator.

To serve: Cut the lemon into quarters, then cut each quarter in half. Set aside 8 of the smallest spinach leaves.

Arrange 8 endive leaves in a radial design in the center of each plate. Building up the radial design, arrange 5 arugula, spinach, and red lettuce leaves over the endive on each plate. Pack chilled carpaccio into a 2-1/2-inch mold or small bowl. Turn out the mold in the center of the greens on one plate. Repeat with the other plates. Garnish each salad with 2 slices of the lemon. Top each mold with a sprinkling of the reserved chopped chives and stand two of the reserved small spinach leaves in each. Insert the heavy end of 8 whole chives into the base of the mold on each plate, creating a radial design.

In the words of the chef, voila! Sit and enjoy yourself!