the elephant walk

Last weekend I headed out to a friend's birthday party at The Elephant Walk, a Cambodian-French restaurant with 3 locations in the Boston area. Never having experienced Cambodian food, but obviously a huge fan of French food, I went in with an open mind but minimal expectations, and was blown away by the amount of flavor packaged in these dishes. This is also one of the most accommodating restaurants I have been to, with a massive menu including both Cambodian, French, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options, this is a great place to take a large group.

T started with the nataing; ground pork simmered in coconut milk with sliced garlic, peanuts and chili pods served with crispy rice (which felt & tasted just like unsweetened rice crispies).

I started with the rouleaux; crispy Cambodian spring rolls filled with mushrooms, peanut, noodles, carrot and onion with tuk trey for dipping. I shared only 2 of the 5...mmm.
 

Next T went with the crepe au canard et champignons; a warm crepe filled with duck braised in soy-ginger and tamaring juices, with mushroom and scallion. I had half and kept sneaking more...I don't even like duck but this was amaaaazing!

Although you reeeeally can't see it very well, for his entree T went with the dish I forced him to order (as I wanted half): loc lac; cubed beef tenderloin lightly caramalized in black pepper, garlic, and mushroom soy witt a lime dipping sauce. It was good, it didn't blow me away, and I was glad I ordered mine..which was the best dish of the night...

A dish of braised boneless short ribs with a gravy-like sauce, asparagus, and garlicky mashed potatoes...unbelievably tasty. One bite of the beef and my whole mouth was overwhelmingly filled with a whole bowl of beef stew. This dish is definitely in my top 5 last-meal requests.

For dessert T & I split the le peche au chocolate; a rich, creamy, chocolate truffle cake paired with a raspberry sauce. Tasty but extremely rich & filling, I would not recommend getting this on your own! 
 

My only complaint is the fact that dinner took about 3 hours, with terribly slow service I was given 2 cocktails within the 3 hours...soooo sloooowwww. If the food wasn't amazing, I definitely would not go back...but it was...and I will be back when I have the time to spend waiting! 

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teriyaki chicken lettuce wraps

Teriyaki chicken lettuce wraps are a healthy weeknight recipe, especially for a big group of people who love to eat with their hands!
 

Ingredients (for 4 servings):
2 lbs boneless chicken breast
1 tbs vegetable oil
salt & pepper
2/3 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup mirin (Japanese rice wine)
4 thick slices of peeled ginger
6 green onions (white part only), chopped
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp brown sugar
1 package cellophane noodles (optional for garnish)
1 head of bibb lettuce for wrapping

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add chopped chicken, sprinkle salt & pepper, stir to brown. 
  

2. After 6 minutes, add soy sauce, mirin, ginger, green onions, parsley & brown sugar. Stir to coat, bring to a simmer, and let liquid evaporate off until the sauce sticks to the chicken, about 8 minutes with constant stirring.
 

3. Transfer chicken to rinsed lettuce leaves, plop a serving spoon's-worth of chicken onto the middle of the leaf, top with noodles, wrap up & enjoy!
 

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simple weekend recap: edition 20

Superbowl weekend started with some homemade spinach & artichoke dip along with teriyaki chicken lettuce wraps (recipe tomorrow)...

 

...before looking through an old vacation diary which foreshadowed my love of food (looks like I had a lot of spaghetti, chicken, and a bunch of "super time"s!).

Saturday, a friend had their birthday dinner at the Elephant Walk (review later this week).

 

 

Superbowl Sunday was filled with prepping for homemade pizzas...

 

 

 

...before enjoying some guacamole...

 

 

...and pizzas! I made mine with ricotta, garlic olive oil, blue cheese dressing, hot sauce, mozzarella, baked chicken tenders, pepperoni & mushrooms. Mmmmm!

 

 

Dessert was bananas foster (recipe later this week)!!

 

 

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honey-glazed carrots

I love raw carrots, but I'm not a fan of mushy cooked carrots. These honey-glazed carrots will impress even the pickiest of cooked carrot haters. A simple side dish elevated with a bit of a kick, these are easily cooked up to accompany a high-protein hunk of meat.
 

Ingredients (for 2 servings):
6 carrots
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp brown sugar
A pinch of dried tarragon, or dried herb of choice
Salt & pepper

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil over med-high heat, add sliced carrots, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2.  Stir and cook until softened and a bit browned, about 6 minutes.
 

 

3. Add honey & brown sugar, stir to coat. Lower heat to medium. Let honey bubble up and caramelize.
 

 

4. Once honey begins to turn a more caramel-y brown, add a pinch of dried tarragon.
 

 

5. Cook until honey reduces and you are left with carrots coated in a sticky honey-caramel.

 

6. Serve warm.
 

 

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pork chops with a shallot-red wine sauce

For an easy weeknight dinner, you could whip up some tender pork chops in under 20 minutes. Pair it with a nice red wine and some shallots, a baked potato, and honey glazed carrots and you have an impressive quick-dinner spread.
 

Ingredients:
2 tbs olive oil
2 pork chops
2 tbs butter
Salt & pepper
1 shallot
1 tbs & 1 tsp flour
1 cup red wine of choice

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Heat 1 tbs olive oil in cast iron skillet over high heat. Sprinkle one side of the pork chops with salt, pepper, and 1/4 tbs flour.

  

2. Place chops coated-side down over high heat for 1 minute while sprinkling salt, pepper, and another 1/4 tbs on the other side of the pork. Flip and cook over high heat for another 1 minute to sear both sides of the chops.

 

3. Turn down the heat to med-high, add butter, and cook for 8 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
 

 

4. Pop the chops onto a baking sheet, place in preheated oven for 8 more minutes. Open a bottle of red wine (if one if not already open), pour a glass for yourself, let it breathe, and reserve 1 cup for the sauce. 

5. Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, add remaining 1 tbs olive oil & shallots and cook over medium heat until crispy and resembling small little tasty crunchy onion rings. 
 

 

6. Add 1 tsp flour and whisk until coated.

7. Add wine and let bubble up, evaporate a bit, and thicken until desired consistency.
 

8. Remove chops from oven, let sit for a few minutes, and then drizzle with shallot-red wine sauce.
 

 

Easy peasy, tasty pork high in zinc and other essential vitamins, ready to eat within 20 minutes!

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