Pan Seared Tuna with White Wine Mango Chutney

Ingredients

Chutney

3 Medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 Large mangoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 Medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 1/4 cups Granulated sugar
1 cup Finely chopped onion
1/2 cup Golden raisins
1/4 cup White vinegar
1/4 cup White wine (I used Selection Viognier)
1/4 cup Finely grated peeled ginger root
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
2 Tsp Curry powder
1/2 Tsp Ground nutmeg
1/2 Tsp Ground cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Salt

Pan Seared Tuna

2 Tbsp dark sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce (or 2 Tbsp of wheat-free tamari for gluten-free option)
1 Tbsp of grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green onion (scallion) thinly sliced (a few slices reserved for garnish)
1 teaspoon lime juice

Directions

Chutney

Combine apples, mangoes, red pepper, sugar, onion, raisins, vinegar, white wine and ginger root in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, and boil gently, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until fruit is tender and mixture is thickened, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice, curry powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt; boil gently for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Pan Seared Tuna

Mix the marinade ingredients together and coat the tuna steaks with the marinade, cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least an hour. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high to high heat. When the pan is hot, remove the tuna steaks from the marinade and sear them for a minute to a minute and a half on each side (even a little longer if you want the tuna less rare). Remove from pan and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. Sprinkle with a few green onion slices.

Can serve plain, with white rice, spoon chutney on top of tuna steak slices.

Originally published in The Wine Cellar August 2019.

Cinnamon French Toast with Peaches in a White Wine Syrup

INGREDIENTS:

Peaches and Syrup
1 Cup Castor Sugar
½ Tsp Madagascar Vanilla
1 Cup  White Wine (I used a off-dry wine with peach notes)
2 Peaches, cut into wedges

French Toast
2-3 Extra large Eggs
1 Tsp Sugar
½ Tsp Vanilla
½ Tsp Cinnamon
2-3 Tbsp Cream
4-6 Slices of thick bread
Whipping Cream for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

For the French toast, place the eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and cream into a bowl and mix well. Dip the bread slices into the egg mixture until soaked.
Heat the butter in a frying pan and cook the bread slices for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden-brown. Set aside and keep warm.

For the peaches, place the caster sugar, vanilla and white wine into a saucepan, over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add the peach pieces to the pan and simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until the peach is tender.

To serve, place the French toast onto a serving plate. Remove the peaches from the syrup with a slotted spoon and place on top of the toast, drizzled with a little of the white wine syrup and top with whipping cream. Serves 2.

Originally published in The Wine Cellar, June 2017.

Red Wine Cranberry Sauce

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Dry red wine
1/2 Cinnamon stick (1 1/2 inches)
1 Package Fresh cranberries (about 12 oz.)
1/2 Tbsp Tangerine, clementine or orange zest, or more to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, red wine and cinnamon stick; bring to a slow boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the wine is reduced slightly. Add the cranberries and zest. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the cranberries are soft and the sauce has thickened. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Amazing with turkey!

Originally published in The Wine Cellar, October 2016.