True Parisian Crepes

Having eaten crepes in France last week, we realized the ones we make here do not compare to the real deal.  So here is the secret sauce  (for 8-10 people)

Preparation time 10 min - Cooking time 3 min (but it has to stand for 30 min after preparing)

List of Ingredients

250g flour (1 1/2 cups of flour)
4 eggs,
one pint of milk
1 pinch of salt
50 g butter (3 1/2 tablespoons)
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 tablespoon rum (5 cl)

In a bowl, mix the flour and eggs. Then gradually add the milk while stirring with a whisk.

Add the vanilla sugar, a pinch of salt, butter and rum
Let stand for 30 min and then heat the crêpe pan  and melt a little butter. 
Use a ladle depending upon the thickness of the dough. IT is not necessary that the batter is too thick. If it is too thick add a little more milk. IF it is too liquid add flour.
Use waxed paper to stack the crepes.  Put butter on pan between cooking each crepe to not make it stick

I am ready to make these in any of your homes.

(This is the recipe Micka was going to use in the US for his restaurant).

from Reid

and remember 'crepes' rhymes with 'reps' not 'tapes'

very important if you are making true Parisian crepes!

Cauliflower Soup

I made this last night and Reid loved it - so he posted the recipe. But I modified to make it lighter - I only used a few TBS of butter, just a drizzle of cream (didn't have half and half) and no sour cream at all. Also I only used 1 quart chicken broth because it seemed like too much liquid.  It still tasted great!




Ingredients: 
1 stick Butter, Divided
½ whole Onion, Finely Diced 
1 whole Carrot Finely Diced
1 stalk Celery, Finely Diced
1 whole (to 2 Whole) Cauliflower Heads (roughly Chopped)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Or Dried Parsley (chopped)
2 quarts Low-sodium Chicken Broth Or Stock
6 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Half-and-half
2 teaspoons To 4 Teaspoons Salt, To Taste
1 cup (heaping) Sour Cream, Room Temperature

Preparation Instructions: In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown.Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine.Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine. Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly.Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Add mixture to the simmering soup. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.Just before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add two to three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir.Serve immediately.

Almost instant molten chocolate cake

You can make a warm chocolate cake in less than 5 mins and only mess up one small dish - yes!

Whisk 1/4 cup flour, 5 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 egg, 3 tablespoons milk, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and a dash each of vanilla extract and salt in a large mug until smooth. Microwave until puffed, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with more cocoa powder. (From Food Network Magazine, April 2011, p.93)



Yay Reid for posting this!


He and Jamie were painting the exercise room and I wanted to make them a treat. I had just reorganized my magazine clippings into a file and came across this very quick and easy warm chocolate cake. I doubled the recipe and it made enough for all three of us.
                                 
                                                                                         Diane


PS - I've heard you can add some chocolate chips or a spoon full of peanut butter to the middle of the cake, before microwaving.  Maybe you could try it with a mini version of your favorite chocolate bar (Mounds in the middle....yummy).


Yes Joelle - it's delicious! Using good quality cocoa of course (Sharffen Berger for me).  Watch that you don't over cook it. Mine was a tiny bit too firm.

Seminary Drink!

3 cups sugar
4 cups water
1 (12 oz) can of Orange Juice
1 1/2 cups lemon
1 T almond
2 t vanilla extract
1/4 t cloves
all spice (a bit)
4 quarts water

This is the infamous seminary drink. It is great to serve at a winter gathering and is quick to make.

Indian Bread - The recipe Dad used to follow

2 cups of flour
1 t of baking powder
1/2 t of salt
water

When the 5 J's were young, they loved this!

Creme Fraiche

A staple in french cuisine, and widely used throughout Europe, creme fraiche is similar to sour cream with a superior full, rich flavor. It can be reduced and thickened without curdling, and can also be whipped like double cream. It is an excellent addition to all sorts of soups and sauces. And any kind of cultured milk product has beneficial bacteria that heals the gut and helps with digestion and nutrient absorption, so eat up! It's good for you!!



To make homemade creme fraiche:

1 pint good-quality cream (raw cream is best, but pasteurized works. Do not use ultrapasteurized.)
1 tablespoon whole-milk buttermilk (not ultrapasteurized, and without additives)


Stir buttermilk into cream in a clean glass jar. Cover tightly and leave at room temperature to culture for 24-48 hours, until thick, slightly sour, and creamy.

Augratin Potatoes - Just like the French make it!

Peel and thinly slice 8-10 potatoes. (We like yukon gold.)
Stir fry potato slices in pastured butter or olive oil until soft, but still slightly firm. Do not overcook, or they will be mushy!
In a buttered casserole dish, spread half the potatoes, and sprinkle with salt and fresh pepper. Cover with a layer of creme fraiche, then a generous amount of shredded gruyere cheese (or any cheese you like). Repeat the three layers once more, ending with the cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, and then reduce to 350, and bake until potatoes are tender, and top is golden. YUMMMMM!!!

European Bread - A favorite of our missionary couples

Also known as "No-Knead Bread"


(Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery)

Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising


3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Tarte flambée (Flammeküeche) From our trip to the Alsace

Ingredients to serve 4

500 g (1 lb) bread dough – 2 onions – 60 g (2 ½ oz) smoked bacon (small pieces) – a bit of butter - 20 cl (6 oz) thick crème fraîche – 20 cl (6 oz) fromage blanc (soft white cheese) – 1 tablespoon colza oil – salt, pepper and nutmeg

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 270 °C (thermostat 9 – 520 °F).
• Slice the onions thinly and brown them in a pan with the butter.
• Remove the onions from the pan and fry the bacon in it for a few minutes, without adding fat.
• Mix the cream, the fromage blanc, the onions and the bacon bits. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
• Roll the dough in a thin layer on a baking sheet.
• Cover the dough with the mixture of fromage blanc / onions / bacon and pour a tablespoon of oil over.
• Bake 10 minutes.

Please note: this recipe may be made with grated Swiss cheese, fresh mushrooms or Munster cheese.

Crepes

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

Pannekoeken (Our favorite Dutch Pancakes)

1 c. flour
1 c. milk
4 eggs
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of salt
Apple pie filling (optional)
Ham and cheese (optional)
Bacon and mushrooms or other desired toppings (optional)
Powdered sugar or syrup (optional)

Heat 2-4 tablespoons butter in 9-inch deep dish pie pan (metal) in preheating oven at 400 degrees.

Mix flour, milk, eggs, nutmeg and salt. Beat lightly, leaving lumps. Pour into hot pie pan. Bake 20 minutes until puffy and brown. Serves 4.

Delicious plain with butter and powdered sugar or syrup.

For apple Pannekoeken, spoon 1 can apple pie filling over batter before baking.

Other options: Sprinkle ham and cheese, bacon and mushrooms or desired topping before baking.

German Pancakes

 

 

 

 

German Pancakes II

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk

• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Melt butter in a medium baking dish.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, milk, eggs and salt. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
3. Bake on center rack in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.

Sour Dough Pancakes

This assumes that you have some of my starter in the fridge--just waiting to be taken out and fed.

The night before, mix well (to incorporate some air) 1 cup of your sourdough starter with 1½ cups of all purpose flour and 1 cup of warm water (85°-90°). Leave at warm room temperature (70°-85°) overnight, covered well with plastic wrap.

The next morning, return 1 cup of the starter mixture to the fridge.

Then mix the remaining 1½ cups of starter with

1 egg, slightly beaten
1 Tablespoon of sugar (or more if you like)
1 Tablespoon of melted butter
¾ Teaspoon of salt

After you have mixed the previous ingredients, then mix:
½ teaspoon (generous) of baking soda
2 Tablespoons of milk

And then mix everything together.

Try to have your ingredients at room temperature. This will help to make more tender pancakes.

Bake on a 400° griddle. Enjoy!