“Family Meal” is a restaurant term for the meal that the employees eat before or after a shift. I think it might also be a McDonald trademark, but don’t quote me on that. It’s also what happened at our Lodge at Snowbird on many, many evenings. It’s a marvelous and tasty thing when friends gather over a meal after a day of skiing.   It’s an intimate bonding experience to share the same food, to have a collective memory; it’s a moment to engage in conversation and a chance to support each other.  There is no adequate substitute for all the pleasures of sharing your table with people you love and people that you want to know better.
We can’t thank all of our Snowbird friends enough for all the laughter and meals we shared together. Whether it was an impromptu roving party with cocktails at Kevin’s and a very spontaneous jambalaya to celebrate Mardi Gras, or Mike’s exquisite white bean and truffle soup, or Steak Fest brought to us by Tomaso, or Bill and Joann’s fantabulous cocktail party, or the exotic Australian chicken curry, it was all wonderful. Leaving Snowbird this weekend was a little sad as we will miss all of you but look forward to our next meal together and our next run down the mountain.

P.S. If there really truly is a big mother storm coming…you may see us sooner that later!
P.P.S. Big hugs to our special little friend Simon!

And as our gift to you, here is Liz’s outstanding tuna carpaccio recipe, which I guarantee you will want to share with some friends.

Tuna Carpaccio

Citrus Marinade
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced fresh jalapeño or other chili pepper
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Garnish
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Thinly sliced radish

One 8 oz. tuna steak, sushi grade

Combine the orange and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, let juices reduce by about 1/3 and remove from heat and let cool. When the juice is at room temperature add all the other marinade ingredients. Be judicious in your use of the chili, too much heat and you will ruin the delicacy of the tuna flavor, just add enough heat to keep the flavors lively.

Cut the tuna steak into 4 equal parts. If it’s a thick steak, slice in half widthwise so that each piece is about ½” thick.  You want to make the steaks as paper thin as possible, while keeping them intact.  We discovered that rather than pounding the steaks flat, its gentler and easier if you roll the steaks between 2 sheets of plastic wrap.  Using a rolling pin (or in our case a plastic wrapped wine bottle) gently and evenly flatten the tuna steak. Using the bottom layer of plastic wrap, transfer the steak to a plate and the plate to the fridge. You want to keep the tuna steaks chilled until the point that you serve them. You could prepare the steaks ahead of time and leave in the fridge for an hour or so before serving, but not much longer than that.

Right before serving pour a few tablespoons of the marinade sauce over the tuna, garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and the radish slices and serve immediately.

I think I’d like to serve this with a rose wine, something that is a bit fruity to highlight the citrus flavors in the marinade. That was NOT an option in wine challenged Utah, but that’s a story for another day. Enjoy!