Steamed

refrigerator.
     

     
    2 tsp. minced garlic
    2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
    2 tsp. ground cumin
    2 tsp. ground coriander
    4 tbsp. olive oil
    2 fresh tuna steaks, approximately 7 ounces each, preferably 3 inches thick
    ½ tsp. salt
    ½ tsp. pepper
    1 tsp. sugar
     
    Mix the garlic, ginger, cumin, and coriander with the oil. Rub both sides of the tuna steaks with this mixture and let them sit for approximately 30 minutes. Heat a large pan on medium-high heat. While waiting for the pan to get perfectly hot, sprinkle tuna with the salt, pepper, and sugar. Sear tuna on both sides for 1V2 minutes per side. The tuna should be very rare inside, with a beautiful seared crust on the outside. Serve with the cardamom sweet rice and bok choy slaw. If you’d like, you can drizzle the plate with a little sweet soy to enhance the flavors.
     

     
    2 heads of baby bok choy
    1 tbsp. honey
    ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
    ½ cup salad oil
    1 tsp. ground coriander
    2 tsp. salt
    1 tsp. pepper
    1 red pepper, julienne
    1 yellow pepper, julienne
    ¼ cup cilantro, whole leaves
     
    Cut off the stem from the bok choy and julienne (thinly slice) the entire head.
    To make the dressing, mix together the honey, vinegar, oil, coriander, and salt and pepper. Let the dressing sit out at room temperature to have the flavors meld together.
    Mix the peppers and bok choy together and gently toss with the dressing. You may serve the slaw cold, or you may heat it for a minute or two in a hot skillet. Don’t actually cook the slaw, but heat it up just enough for the bok choy leaves to begin to wilt. Garnish with fresh cilantro.
     

     
    1 cup sushi rice
    ¼ cup sweet soy sauce
    1 hunch chopped scallions
    1½ tsp. cardamom
    1 tsp. ground coriander
    1½ tsp. sesame oil
    ½ tsp. salt
     
    If you have a rice cooker, cook the sushi rice in it with 2 cups of water. If not, you may cook the rice on the stove top, following directions on the brand you use. Simply mix the rest of the ingredients with the hot rice and serve.
     
     

     
    5½ ounces dark chocolate (not baking chocolate), preferably Valrhona
    5½ ounces butter
    3 eggs
    3 egg yolks
    ¾ cup sugar
    ⅓ cup all purpose flour
    fresh berries or other seasonal fruit
    ice cream
     
    Preheat oven to 400°.
    Melt the dark chocolate and butter together over low heat and set aside. Using a whisk or an electric mixer, whip the eggs and the yolks together with the sugar until the mixture turns pale yellow and almost doubles in volume. Using a spatula, gently fold in the chocolate mixture and then the flour. Let the batter sit for about an hour or until it is somewhat firm. Fill small brioche molds (or other individual-size oven-safe nonstick dishes) about three-fourths of the way up with the batter. Bang the dishes on the counter to make sure the batter fills up all of the crevices. Place the molds on a cookie sheet and bake for 4 to 7 minutes. The edges should feel set, but the center (about a quarter-size area) should still be jiggly. Do not overbake the cake, or you will lose the delicious, gooey center. Unmold cakes arid serve with ice cream and fresh fruit.
    If you use very high-quality chocolate, extra batter may be kept in the refrigerator for later use.
     

 

Jessica Conant-Park graduated from Macalester College and has a master of social work degree from Boston College. She is married to Chef William Park.
 
Susan Conant , Jessica's mother, graduated summa cum laude from Radcliffe College and holds a doctorate in human development from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The author of the Dog Lover's Mysteries and the Cat Lover's Mysteries, she is a six-time winner of the Dog Writers Association of Americas Maxwell Award.