Weekend Review: Cholada Thai

Mee Krob - Sweet Crunchy Noodles with Chicken and Shrimp

In high school, a dear friend of mine introduced me to one of my still-favorite restaurants, Cholada Thai. It's located right on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, but it's far from glamorous. Even if you're an L.A. native, it's likely that you've never noticed Cholada  (which is little more than a blue shack on the side of the road), but the food more than makes up for the ambiance. They have a large menu, but I've never been disappointed with a dish there. I always try and get a curry, a noodle dish, and a soup, and their generous portions usually lend themselves towards leftovers for the next day. It's a great place for Thai food lovers and for newbies to Thai cuisine.

Vegetable Pad Thai

Panang Curry with Chicken

Thai Pork Fried Rice

BBQ Spare Ribs

Chicken Parmesan

I’m a big fan of Target’s designer and celebrity collaborations, so when my aunt (who is an excellent chef) suggested that I check out Giada de Laurentiis’s tomato basil marinara sauce, I knew it would be delicious. I finally made a trip to Target and picked up a bottle of the sauce, and after trying it I wish I had purchased a dozen more. I used it to make chicken parmesan and had some leftover sauce to toss with the spaghetti. I’d like to think that my chicken parmesan recipe is delicious when paired with any good-quality marinara sauce, but Giada’s tomato basil made it extra tasty. It’s definitely worth making a trip to the store and picking up some sauce before it runs out!

Chicken Parmesan:

• Place 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts* in between plastic wrap and pound them out into 1/2" thick cutlets.**
• Meanwhile, prepare your breading stations: beat together 2 eggs in one large plate, place 1 c. flour in another, and combine 2 c. panko breadcrumbs*** and 1 tbsp. chopped parsley in another. Season all plates with salt and pepper.
• Cut cutlets in half, then bread each one by first coating in flour, then coating in egg, then coating in breadcrumbs (shake off excess coating during each step).
• Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a skillet, then add the chicken cutlets and cook for 4 minutes per side, or until browned.
• Pour some marinara sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish, so that a thin coating of marinara covers the dish.
• Add the chicken in a single layer in the dish, then sprinkle each piece with 1 tbsp. of grated Parmesan cheese.
• Cover the chicken with more marinara, then place a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese over each piece of chicken.
• Bake the chicken at 375°F for 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and chicken is cooked through.
• Let chicken cool slightly, then serve with spaghetti tossed with more marinara and fresh basil.

Serves four
*Totaling about 1 1/4 lb. of chicken.
**Use a meat mallet if you have it, but I use the bottom of an empty wine bottle.
***Japanese-style breadcrumbs, now available in most supermarkets.

Peach Tart

This simple peach tart is quick enough to make as a last minute dessert but impressive enough for company

I first discovered Food52 a few months ago, and it’s since become one of my favorite sources of online recipes (they also hold weekly recipe contests for which I was featured as an "Editor's Pick"). One of my favorite features about the site is that you can easily save any recipes you like, then access them later on your log-in page. I’ve saved several fall dishes to try in the upcoming months, but I waited no time to make a version of this peach tart recipe last weekend, taking advantage of the last few weeks of summer fruit at the farmer’s market. It had to be one of the easiest tarts I've ever made (no pre-baking the crust, no peeling the fruit, no special equipment) and one of the most delicious.


More Peach Recipes:
- White Peach Upside-Down Pancakes
- Grilled Peach, Burrata, & Prosciutto Salad
- Peach & Raspberry Crumble


Peach Tart:
For Crust

• Stir together 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp. salt and 2 tsp. sugar in a large bowl.
• In another bowl, whisk together 1/4 c. olive oil, 1/4 c. canola oil, 2 tbsp. heavy cream, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract.
• Pour wet mixture into flour mixture and combine with your hands until it comes together into a dough.
• Pat the dough into a 9"-10" pie pan,* using your hands to form an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of the pan.**

For Tart

• Preheat oven to 425F.
• Slice 2-3 large peaches in half, remove the pit, and slice the fruit into medium-thick wedges.
• Arrange the slices in a slightly overlapping circle, starting on the outside rim and working your way in.
• Mix together 3/4 c. sugar, 2 tbsp. flour, 2 tbsp. diced cold butter, and a pinch of salt until it forms a crumbly mixture.
• Pour the crumble over the fruit and bake the tart for 30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
• Let tart cool, remove from the pan, cut into wedges, and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Serves six - eight
*Make sure your pan has a removable bottom.
**I like to smooth the crust with the bottom of a glass to ensure even baking.