For the Caramel:
1 C Sugar
½ C Water
½ C Heavy Cream
¼ C Wasabi paste

Step 1:
Place 1 Cup of granulated sugar and ½ Cup Water in a small sauce pot or sauté pan. Put on burner at medium heat. Cook the sugar-water mixture until the water cooks off and the sugar takes on a caramel color.

Step 2:
Add the ½ cup of heavy cream and turn the burner on to low heat. When the cream is added the mixture will bubble as the relatively cold cream meets the hot sugar. It is important that the heat is turned down to low so as the caramel does not boil over and out of your pan. Allow the caramel and cream to incorporate naturally on the low heat for 8-10 minutes and then stir with a wooden spoon or high temp. spatula to combine fully. Place caramel in a small mixing bowl and after cooling stir in the wasabi paste until combined thoroughly. Store in food safe container in refrigerator until needed.

For the Marsala-Soy Syrup:
2 C Marsala Wine
1 C Soy
¼ C Sugar

Place all ingredients in small sauce pot on medium heat. Reduce the liquid by three quarters. The quantity of finished product should be between ½ and ¾ Cups. Set aside syrup for service.

For the Mushroom Duxelle
½ lb. of Medium mushrooms,
4 Tbs. Whole unsalted butter

Step 1:
Place mushrooms in food processor
and machine until fine. The mushrooms
will turn into fine particulates and
become wet. This is good.

Step 2:
Melt butter in a non-stick pan that is large enough to accept the quantity of mushrooms. Add the mushrooms and cook on med.-high heat, stirring frequently. Cook the duxelle until all of the water is cooked out (until the mixture stops producing steam). The mixture should cook to a dark brown and become very aromatic. It is important for our preparation that the duxelle is cooked thoroughly dry in order to produce the “mushroom crumb” that is to be used to dredge the ahi. The non-stick pan is very good for this and allows us to stir effectively. When the duxelle/crumb is ready, place the quantity on a plate lined with a paper towel to cool.
Note: The mushroom crumb will last for a good amount of time in the fridge, so just use what you need each time to dredge your portion of fish for a particular meal. The duxelle serves as a wonderful sprinkled garnish for pasta and can be used as a dredge for most proteins.

For the seared Ahi:
1 10-12 oz. “brick” of Ahi (this can vary in size depending on number of guests, your budget, etc.)
Wasabi Caramel & Marsala Soy-Syrup (recipes provided above)
1 oz. vegetable oil.

Step 1:
Dredge the ahi in the mushroom duxelle, coating thoroughly. Set aside.

Step 2:
Heat vegetable oil on high heat in a sauté pan on stove top until it runs quickly across the bottom of the pan when tilted slightly. Place dredged ahi “brick” in sauté pan and cook for approximately 1 ½ minutes on each side (this could vary for smaller or bigger pieces of fish). We are cooking the ahi to a rare doneness. If your guest prefer a more thoroughly cooked piece of fish, so be it. Set the seared ahi aside for a couple of minutes to make it easy to handle for slicing.

Step 3:
Using a sharp knife slice the ahi thin. “Paint” or drizzle the plate you are using for service with some of the wasabi caramel and marsala-soy syrup. Lay the seared ahi on the plate in an attractive manner and serve.