French Laundry Inspired - Ahi Tuna Cornets

For another canape for our Christmas Dinner, I decided to have a go at making Thomas Keller's famous cornets from The French Laundry cookbook. If you don't have the book, you can find the recipe online here


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I made up the batter, easily, using my beautiful new Kitchen Aid . I made a great little stencil by getting out the bottom from a round Ziplock container. This was perfect because of a little ridge that made the stencil easy to lift. My first batch was a disaster. The batter was way too thick and the cornets wouldn't form well, or brown evenly. After that, I spread the batter as thinly as I could and then they worked perfectly. I quickly got in the swing of cooking up one tray after the next. Now I know how to do them, I would definitely make them again.



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I substituted salmon for Ahi tuna in the recipe, as I was already serving another canape with salmon. Also, raw tuna is the only fish Fred will eat and I thought it would be nice for him to be able to join in the whimsical cornet fun. Assemble at the very last minute before serving (they soften quickly once the fillings are added). I filled a bowl with navy beans so that I could stand the cornets up easily for presentation. (Check out some other presentation tips here) I didn't crown my cornets with chives as Thomas Keller suggests because, quite frankly, I ran out of time. Despite the lack of ornamentation, however, these tasted super-delicious. I didn't quite make enough for two each and there were fights over who got seconds...

Check here and here for information and ways to help the disaster relief in Asia.

Sam & Fred will be on vacation until 2005. Happy New Year, everyone.

French Laundry Inspired - Ahi Tuna Cornets