Thursday Dinner, done right.

I had been wanting to cook a big three course dinner for quite some time, and I finally found an opportunity to do do, my last night in SF before moving to Tahoe for the winter. The menu was ambitions. Roommates and friends were very excited, and I was anxious to try all new recipes. The menu was as followed:

1st Course -
Tuna tar tar served in avocado bowls
Sesame crusted seared ahi salad with sliced mango & avocado, served with a watercress & arugula salad with mango-citrus vinaigrette

2nd Course -
Dungeness crab bisque

3rd Course -
Roast beef with chimichurri sauce


The tuna tar tar came out fabulous. Lightly marinated in a bit of soy sauce, sirracha, sesame oil, and the key ingredient - Lime zest. The lime zest truly helped bring a great brightness to the tuna.


The seared tuna loin came out to perfection and paired very well with the mango vinaigrette.


I was most nervous about the bisque, having never made it before. I actually followed a recipe a read in the New York Times a while back which helped simplify the bisque. It turned out incredible. Fresh tarragon, dry sherry and of course the deliciously sweet dungeness crab truly shined in this delicate soup. Everyone at the table agreed this was the best dish of the night, including me. I couldn't get enough of it.

The roast beef came out delicious, however, it could have used a few more minutes in the oven to make it a beautiful medium rare. Having taken my first shot at making chimichurri sauce, I don't think I would change much. The medley of fresh herbs were fantastic with the salty steak. I highly recommend making this sauce for any piece of red meat you may cook. And, it keeps!

Recipes below:

Chimichurri Sauce:

• 1 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup mint leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 3/4 to 1 cup olive oil
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crab Bisque:

1 carrot, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 sprigs fresh tarragon

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup medium sherry

2 cups fish stock or clam broth

1/2 cup long-grain white rice

1 cup heavy cream

Cayenne pepper, to taste.

Salad Dressing:

mango

cilantro

chives

olive oil

lime juice

salt/pepper

brown sugar

Tuna Tar Tar:

soy sauce

ginger

lime zest

sesame oil

sirracha