congratulatory tuna

Last night I used Matt's excellent LSAT score as an excuse to make an extravagant dinner I've been planning.  I made a lighter version of the pan-seared beef tenderloin with port sauce and balsamic onions recipe from Gluten-Free Girl.  I couldn't find the recipe on the website, but it's from this book.  I cooked the onions as directed (but accidentally added 50% too much balsamic) and I used peppered sushi-grade tuna steaks instead of tenderloin (lower fat, omega-3's).  For a starch I made a 2:1 garnet yam/cauliflower mash with salt and pepper and a little bit of low-fat buttermilk as an alternative to traditional mashed potatoes (lower carb and fat, higher vitamin A and fiber).  This was surprisingly flavorful but gentle enough to complement and balance the rest of the dish.  I topped the whole thing with some snowpea sprouts for the appearance of elegance and voilà!  Despite my criminal overcooking of the tuna, we both thought the dish was delicious.  My only warning is, if the balsamic/port onions are reduced too much (or you accidentally add extra vinegar), they run the risk of overwhelming the lighter protein.

 

We drank a 2009 Chinon Rive Gauche, an organic Cabernet Franc, which was recommended by an employee at Astor Wines.  Though I thought it wasn't a bad pairing I doubt we'll purchase it again--something with a little more oomph would have better suited the food, especially the balsamic onions.  So if the wine doesn't work, what better accompaniment than some music as rich and romantic as the meal?  Bossa nova may bring about ideas of 60's cheeseball watch-me-do-a-swinging-dance-step-while-I-bring-you-another-Manhattan-and-sidle-up-to-you-on-the-couch, but it's the perfect amount of sleaze to counter the seriousness of the dish.