Crisp Tofu Katsu
This past Saturday was my mother-in-law's birthday, and we celebrated with our first visit to the newly revamped Orange Lawn Tennis Club dining room, now headlined by chef David Burke.
The space is nice, although it got uncomfortably warm in the dining room. The food was very good. There was only one vegetarian entree on the menu, so I ordered it: cauliflower steak. It was prepared perfectly but I wish it had had a more aggressive sauce. And needless to say, I wish there were more vegetarian options on the menu.
I like Orange Lawn, which dates back to the late 1800s, because it is a fancy place within walking distance of my house. Being there gives me a feeling of aristocracy, such that the two times I have dined there (one was pre-renovation), I have been compelled to rename everyone in my party more pompously. I go by "Mitzi," and Pat became Archibald, Kathleen was Ekaterina, and my in-laws were simply Her Ladyship and His Lordship.
Back to our plebeian reality this morning: Emma's camp this week is too far away for us to walk, as we did last week, but it is located very close to a train station. So we still spared the atmosphere our carbon emissions, and rode the rails to camp today.
Tonight for dinner I made, for the second time, "Crisp Tofu Katsu with Lemon-Tahini Sauce" (NYT Cooking, subscription required). I love this dish. I love the crispy coating to the tender tofu, and the crunchy cauliflower, and the different shapes and colors and flavors all thrown together. It does take me about an hour to make, though, not even counting the pressing of the tofu.
I don't think you need quite as much cornstarch or panko as the recipe suggests. And I used half red, half regular quinoa, and it totaled close to a cup. Emma spotted the purple cauliflower at the farmers market today, so we went with that, and I'm glad we did - so pretty!
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| His Lordship, Her Ladyship, Ekaterina, Mitzi, and Archibald |
The space is nice, although it got uncomfortably warm in the dining room. The food was very good. There was only one vegetarian entree on the menu, so I ordered it: cauliflower steak. It was prepared perfectly but I wish it had had a more aggressive sauce. And needless to say, I wish there were more vegetarian options on the menu.
 |
| Cauliflower steak with green beens and a beet sauce |
I like Orange Lawn, which dates back to the late 1800s, because it is a fancy place within walking distance of my house. Being there gives me a feeling of aristocracy, such that the two times I have dined there (one was pre-renovation), I have been compelled to rename everyone in my party more pompously. I go by "Mitzi," and Pat became Archibald, Kathleen was Ekaterina, and my in-laws were simply Her Ladyship and His Lordship.
Back to our plebeian reality this morning: Emma's camp this week is too far away for us to walk, as we did last week, but it is located very close to a train station. So we still spared the atmosphere our carbon emissions, and rode the rails to camp today.
Tonight for dinner I made, for the second time, "Crisp Tofu Katsu with Lemon-Tahini Sauce" (NYT Cooking, subscription required). I love this dish. I love the crispy coating to the tender tofu, and the crunchy cauliflower, and the different shapes and colors and flavors all thrown together. It does take me about an hour to make, though, not even counting the pressing of the tofu.
I don't think you need quite as much cornstarch or panko as the recipe suggests. And I used half red, half regular quinoa, and it totaled close to a cup. Emma spotted the purple cauliflower at the farmers market today, so we went with that, and I'm glad we did - so pretty!
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