Lemongrass tofu, fennel chickpeas, lambic sorbet

A few new recipe experiments

Lemongrass tofu
Methods:
I followed this recipe for the sauce portion. I sliced tofu into six pieces to create sandwich-conducive pieces. After marinating, I cooked them in a cast iron and transferred everything to the oven.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/spicy-lemongrass-tofu-233844

Results:
Excellent for sandwiches if the tofu is kept separate until the last minute. I don't know how it would go if made the night before.

Chickpeas
Methods:
I did not have coriander or olives on hand. Even without them, this chicpea recipe was delicious. I did put the lemon zest in the chickpeas by accident. So it goes. We haven't tried the couscous yet.
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-couscous-159922


Sorbet
We tried to make Jeni's lambic sorbet this weekend, substituting frozen blueberries for stone fruit. The first night was a fail--after churning it still did not work. We popped the sorbet mix back into the fridge, and the ice cream maker back in the freezer, and turned down the freezer temp. We also realized that with a kitchenaid ice cream attachment, we probably should not have been churning the sorbet in a super hot Southern California kitchen while the oven was on.
We retried the experiment the next day, with a more temperate kitchen and the product turned out great. Putting a scoop of sorbet in lambic for a boozy float was particularly delightful.

Cantonese Restaurant

We are on a hunt for a favorite Cantonese restaurant. This weekend, we tried Fortune Gourmet.
We had the green beans, fried sole, and fish congee.

The portions were large and the price reasonable. The green beans were not as fried as I prefer them, but the green beans were fresh and plump and for those who like that style, they would enjoy them. The fried sole was quite delicious--good delicate batter with delicious sauce to put on top. The fish congee was fine--it did its job, though I like mine with a bit more flavor.

Overall, it was a fine experience. I still prefer the Cantonese restaurants in Boston but this definitely does its job just fine.

Sole

We are a fan of this fish

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/provencal-style-lemon-sole

Kahlua - The Revolver

We tried this drink tonight. It's delightful--not too sweet, not too heavy...

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/03/time-for-a-drink-the-revolver-bourbon-cocktail-tia-maria-kahlua-orange.html

salmon

In case you missed it, this reference list for salmon is fantastic

http://cooking.nytimes.com/guides/19-how-to-cook-salmon

Miso cod

Background: This recipe is a keeper! We got black cod at the Ranch 99 (Asian supermarket). It was about five bucks a pound. Never cooked with whole fish before but the guy there gutted it, cleaned it, and hacked it into a few steak-ish pieces.  I was totally intimidated by the whole fish buying experience (he wanted me to pick the fish myself and I had no clue and asked him to pick it. He said I should never let a fishmonger pick the fish because he could be dishonest, pointed me to tongs, and told me pick one myself and inspect all the options.

Method: Combo of the two...
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-nobu-miso-marinated-black-cod-117238

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/black-cod-with-miso


I kept the fish curing in a ziplock bag, and then the bag in a pyrex bowl in the fridge to avoid fishiness issues.

Cooked on the stove and then oven.

Results: It totally worked. Still shocked. Meat easily fell off the bone. We had it with Shanghai noodles (also bought at Ranch 99), bok choy, shredded soy with carrots and shitake mushrooms, and baby potatoes. Not the world's easiest dinner, but given pre-prep form the weekend, it probably took about forty minutes....and then there was chocolate cream pie dessert...

Avoiding eating out in 100 degree weather

I had always lived on the East coast until recently. I've never really had to live with dry heat. It's a whole new beast to me. This week, for groceries, we bought little fingerling potatoes to roast, asparagus to grill, pizza dough, and soft tomatoes for making fresh pasta sauce... and then it was 97 degrees. Then low 100s. And it was clear that what we bought and planned for meals this week was not going to fly in this house that heats up like no other.

I'm going to start keeping a list of no-cook meals as this is new to me, and we kind of get caught off guard every September and it would be great not having to eat out every time it's this hot.

-cold tofu cubes with a soy/wasabi mix sauce, diced tomatoes and scallions, and bonito flakes on top
-spicy tuna fish with the siracha mayo we made and shredded carrots
-kale salad with peaches and buttermilk ranch dressing


We did another grocery run and now also have on deck

-avocado toasts
-smoked salmon salad
-arugula salad with goat cheese

Taking more no-heat suggestions...