Maple-Glazed Tuna; Pear and Potato Salad

Chef Marcus Samuelsson is an interesting fellow. The Ethopian-born, Swedish-raised owner of four New York restaurants is known for "fusion" type recipes that blend all kinds of familiar flavors into something new and unique. I recently heard about him on the the NPR show Spendid Table. Wanting to learn more, I tracked down Samuelsson's New American Table at the local library and settled on this recipe. It turned out fine, but with an overwhelming number of "tastes." Sweet, sour, salty, spicy... this dish has it all. Not complicated to make; but to some it might be seem over complex to the taste buds.

Maple-Glazed Tuna
-1 tbsp dijon mustatd
-2 tbsp maple syrup
-Juice of one lemon
-4 tbsp olive oil
-4 six ounce tuna steaks
-salt and pepper
-cilantro sprigs for garnish

Whisk together the mustard, maple syrup, lemon juice and 1 tbsp olive oil and set aside; season tuna on both sides with salt and pepper; heat 3 tbsp olive oil over high heat in a non-stick pan; add tuna and cook for 1 minute on each side; remove from heat and brush both sides with the glaze; slice and serve over pear and potato salad

Pear and Potato Salad
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 lb yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
-1 clove garlic minced
-2 bosc pears; cored and cut into cubes
-1/2 red onion thinly sliced
-1/4 cup blanched almonds, roughly chopped
-1 1/2 tsp curry powder
-1 cup shredded baby spinach 
-Juice of one lemon
-Salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in non-stick pan over medium heat, add potatoes and cook until golden, about 20-25 minutes; add pears, onions, garlic, almonds, and curry powder and cook for five minutes; remove from heat and stir in spinach and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.