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For tuna tartare, Jacques Pépin recommends dicing the fish with a knife instead of using a food processor, which tends to make the fish mushy. He serves his tartare with onions, scallions and a garnish of bread and cucumbers.
Ingredients:
5 thin slices dark rye bread,
Unsalted butter
8 ounces ahi tuna, cut into ¼-inch dice
Salt
½ to 1 teaspoon Tabasco
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia
1 scallion, minced
⅓ cup diced cucumber
Dash sugar
6 black olives, pitted and halved, for garnish
Additional extra virgin olive oil, for garnish
Chives, for garnish
Lemon wedges or freshly squeezed lemon juice
Method:
Generously butter 4 of the slices of bread and stack them together, then add the final slice on top. Set aside in the refrigerator so that the butter can harden. This can be prepared ahead.
In a medium bowl, combine the tuna, ½ teaspoon salt, Tabasco, olive oil, onion and scallions. In a small bowl, combine the cucumber, dash of salt and the sugar. Let both sit for 15 minutes.
To serve, spoon the tartar into 3 small glass custard cups and press lightly to pack into shape. Carefully unmold the tartare onto 3 plates, and garnish with the diced cucumber, olive halves and a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle some chives on top. Slice the bread into thin slices, vertically to reveal the layered stripes of bread and butter; arrange on the plate around the tuna. Just before serving, squeeze some lemon juice on top and serve immediately.
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Now in its 36th season on PBS, American Masters was recently nominated for an IDA Award, two Primetime Emmy® Awards and was awarded two News & Documentary Emmys. The series illuminates the lives and creative journeys of our nation’s most enduring artistic giants-those who have left an indelible impression on our cultural landscape-through compelling, unvarnished stories. Setting the standard for documentary film profiles, the series has earned widespread critical acclaim and 28 Emmy Awards-including 10 for Outstanding Non-Fiction Series and five for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special-14 Peabodys, three Grammys, two Producers Guild Awards, an Oscar, and many other honors. To further explore the lives and works of more than 250 masters past and present, the American Masters website offers full episodes, film outtakes, filmmaker interviews, the podcast American Masters: Creative Spark, educational resources, digital original series and more. The series is a production of The WNET Group.