Restaurant Recreation

When we went to Port Aransas for vacation recently, I blogged about the best tuna I ever had which was at the Pelican Landing Restaurant. I tried to recreate that meal at home tonight while it was still relatively fresh in my mind.

My recreation was close but not close enough. I started by making a Balsamic Glaze by combining a cup of balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce in a small saucepan. I brought it to a boil and then reduced the heat to a simmer for about 25-30 minutes (even though the recipe said 20 minutes). The glaze seemed to be the perfect consistency - just syrupy. What I didn't realize was how much this glaze would thicken as it cooled. I ended up adding a little hot water to the glaze just before plating to try to get it to the right consistency. The first time I made a balsamic reduction, I completely burned it; to the point of throwing it out and starting again. The second time, I quit just shy of it being syrupy and it really didn't thicken up more like I wanted it to. After today's trial I think I have figured out exactly what it needs to look like when I turn the heat off. We'll see. Apparently the 4th time will be the charm. Who knew a balsamic glaze would be so difficult?

I cooked two slices of bacon over low heat in my cast iron skillet until they were nice and crisp which left a nice layer of bacon fat in my skillet. I seasoned two tuna steaks with salt and pepper and sprinkled them with sesame seeds. I seared the tuna steaks on the first side for two minutes before flipping them and cooking for another two minutes. I then popped the entire skillet in a 450 degree oven for another two minutes which seemed okay to me - 6 minutes total cooking time. The tuna came out way overcooked. Next time I will try two minutes on the first side, flip them and pop them in the hot oven for another 2 minutes. We'll see. I think the tuna steaks needed to be seasoned with perhaps some sesame oil and soy sauce before being seasoned and seared. Again, we'll see.

I made mashed potatoes and green beans as our side dishes and the tuna steaks were served over the balsamic glaze along with the crispy bacon slice.

I have not given up on this recreation, but it is a work in progress.