Chef Chris Erasmus - Tuna Croque Madame

French inspired egg and La Motte Cap Classique recipe

“Tuna Croque Madame”

Poached hens’ egg, trout roe cream cheese, lime and fennel cured yellowfin tuna loin, grilled ciabatta, sorrel pesto

 Ciabatta – recipe yield 2 x 500g loaves

 285g stone ground cake flour

285g stone ground bread flour

400g cold water

15g salt

10g dry yeast

 Preheat the oven to 220°C.

• Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix on low speed for 4 minutes with a dough hook.
• Mix for a further 6 minutes on medium speed.
• Transfer the dough to an oiled container and cover, bulk ferment for 60 minutes until doubled in size.
• Fold down the dough and ferment for a further 45 minutes.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and shape.
• Ferment for a further 45 minutes .
• Transfer to a baking sheet or floured oven tray and place in the oven, spray the dough with water and bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is to your liking.
• Leave to cool completely before slicing.
• Rub the slices with olive oil and grill on a hot skillet until toasted.

 Trout roe cheese  - recipe yield 2 poertions

 1/2 cup soft cream cheese

1T trout roe (or caviar….)

1T chopped chives

¼ tsp lemon zest

Salt and lemon juice to taste

•  Mix all the ingredients and refrigerate until needed.
• Spread generously on the warm toasted ciabatta.

Cured tuna loin – recipe yield 2 portions

 300g tuna loin

¼ cup lime juice

1tsp lime zest

3T rock salt

1T dark brown sugar

1 cup fennel or dill tops, chopped finely

•  Place the lime juice, zest, salt, sugar and herbs in a blender and pulse until smooth.
• Place the tuna loin on a large piece of foil and four over the cure.
• Wrap carefully with the foil so the cure coats the tuna evenly, into a Christmas cracker….
• Refrigerate overnight and wipe off the excess cure.
• Slice the tuna as thinly as possible and place on top of the cream cheese.

 Sorrel pesto – recipe yield 3-4 portions

 2 cups sorrel leaves, picked off the stems

2 garlic cloves

¼ cup Gruyere cheese

¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds

3T olive oil

Salt to taste

• Blend all the ingredients until smooth.

 Poaching the eggs – chefs trick

 Tall narrow pot – like the old pasta pots, the higher the better

1-2 cups strong vinegar – spirit vinegar is good

Maximum of 8 eggs at a time

Ice water

Lemon sliced in half

• Fill the pot to just 2 cm under the rim with water and bring to a hard boil.
• Add the vinegar and bring back to a hard boil.
• Break the eggs into the boiling vinegar water and poach to desired temperature (hardness).
• The deep pot ensures that the eggs form a teardrop shape.
• If you are not using the eggs immediately remove gently with a slotted spoon and place in the ice water with the lemon to reheat later.
• Place the eggs on top of the tuna and spoon over the sorrel pesto.
• Garnish with fish roe and wood sorrel leaves.