To Sear With Love

Her breasts slammed hard against the iron plated shield. Immediately the white hot heat was burning her skin. She couldn't do a thing to stop it. And just when she thought it was going to burn her beyond recognition, he turned her around and her back was against him. And again the burning began. Yet, her insides were melting. She felt a warmth run through her body and it made her feel wonderful.

How sexy is that for cooking a chicken breast. When my husband is cooking, I watch the way he massages any protein he is cooking with olive oil and seasonings. I even told him one time I wish I was a steak to get rubbed like that :-)

I wasn't the best cook of meats. Any steak or pork chop I cooked always turned out to be shoe leather. Tough and dry. If we were to eat red meat, I always asked my husband to cook it and I would watch him. Whether it was pork chops, tenderloin, or even tuna steak he would sear the meat. And the best part is that you sear the spices into the meat for great flavor.

So why sear. It seals in the juices. Plain and simple.

Sesame Encrusted Tuna Steak

2 tbsp of olive oil or roasted sesame oil if you want a more oriental flavor
One tuna steak per person.
Sesame seeds
Fresh coarse ground pepper
Kosher Salt
Teriyaki sauce or soy sauce

Take the tuna steaks and pat it dry. Sprinkle them with salt to taste.
Take the sesame seeds and put them on a flat dinner plate.
Grind the pepper on top of the sesame seeds.
Take a tuna and place it on the sesame seeds and press down. Try to coat the one side of the tuna. Turn over and do the same with the other side.

Have the pan heated up to a medium high heat. Add the oil and spread around.
Take the tuna steak and place it in the pan. Don't put more than 2 tuna steaks at once. You want the liquid to evaporate immediately. Cook the tuna a couple of minutes and flip. Cook the other side. The sesame seeds will have been encrusted and toasted into the tuna. Tuna is best rare inside. But if you liked it cooked all the way, have the oven preheated and place the tuna in the oven to finish cooking slowly.

To serve, drizzle with either the soy or teriyaki sauce. White rice and steamed snowpeas are great. Want it even healthier? Serve it with basmati brown rice. The nuttiness of the rice complements it wonderfully.

Here are a few tips:
I like to get the white and black sesame seeds and mix a couple of tablespoons together. I love the way it looks on the cooked tuna.

Try different salts. There are so many different salts that give subtle flavor changes. Pink salt, grey salt, fleur de sel. Some salts can run a bit expensive, but you can get the small packets for around $2.00 to sample them. World Market is a great place to buy little packets of salts and spices.

Tomorrow - Black as the Night