French Desserts
Crêpes' Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, preferably bleached
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon rum, Cointreau, amaretto, brandy, or other liqueur (optional)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus 2 to 3 teaspoons for coating the pan
- In a blender or food processor, blend the eggs, milk, water, flour, silgar, vanilla, optional flavoring, and the 2 tablespoons melted butter for 5 seconds, or until smooth. Stir down and repeat, if necessary. Or, to mix by hand, sift the flour into a medium bowl and add the sugar.
- Whisk the eggs until blended, mix in the milk, water, vanilla, and optional flavoring, and whisk this mixture into the flour; stir ill the 2 tablespoons melted butter. Cover and refrigerate for at least I hour (2 hours is preferable) or up to 24 hours.
- Gently stir the batter if it has separated. Heat a seasoned 6- or 7-inch nonstick er6pe pan over medium-high heat until hot. (Use a 9- or 10-inch pan for larger crepes.)
- Wipe the pan lightly with butter, lift the pan from the heat, and pour in 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter for a 6- or 7-inch pan, or about cup for a 9- or 10-inch pan, tilting and rotating the pan to coat the surface. Cook until almost (try on top and lightly browned oil the edges, about I minute. Loosen the edges with a metal spatula and flip the crepe over using your fingers or the spatula, then cook the other side for about 15 seconds, or until lightly browned.
- Turn the crêpe out onto a clean tea towel to cool. Repeat with the remaining batter, wiping the pan with butter as needed and stacking the crepes as they are cooked.
- For serving immediately, cover the (crêpes with aluminum foil and keep them warm in a preheated 200-degree-F oven. For serving later, wrap them in plastic wrap in quantities intended for each use and slip them into a self-sealing plastic bag. Refrigerate the crêpes for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 2 months.
- Makes sixteen to eighteen 6- or 7-inch crepes, or ten to twelve 9- or 10-inch crepes.
Different Crêpe Flavours
Espresso Crêpes:
Grind 2 tablespoons coffee beans to a fine powder and add to the dessert crêpe batter when blending it.
Chestnut Flour Dessert Crêpes:
Follow the dessert crêpe recipe, but replace the 1 cup all-purpose flour with 2/3 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup chestnut flour.
Chocolate Crêpes:
Follow the dessert crêpe recipe, but replace the 1 cup all-purpose flour with 3/4 cup all-purpose flour and 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa. Replace the 2 tablespoons sugar with 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar.
Crême Brulée
The origins of crême brulée (pronounced krehm broo-LAY) are very much in contention, with the English, Spanish, and French all staking claim. The Spanish have taken credit for this dessert as "crema catalana" since the eighteenth century, while the English claim it originated in seventeenth-century Britain, where it was known as "burnt cream." It apparently wasn't until the end of the nineteenth century that common usage of the French translation came into vogue, but its wide recognition today seems to have given the French credit for inventing creme brulee.
Regardless of its origins, this delicate, silken, and sinfully rich dessert, which blends the cool velvet of custard with a crisp, caramelized topping, is now served in fine restaurants everywhere. But it is also simple and economical to make at home. For a traditional crême brulée, you need nothing more than cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. A few additional ingredients can transfrom this elegant dessert into an extraordinary culinary creation.
You can add a medley of aromatic spices, fruits, and citrus flavors, to create exciting and exotic variations on the basic theme.
Crême Brulée Basic Ingedients
Cream
The grocery store offers an array of creams with varying amounts of butterfat: half-&-half (10.5 percent); light cream (18 percent); whipping cream (30 percent); heavy cream, also known as heavy whipping cream (36 percent); and double cream (48 percent). You may also want to try manufacturer's cream (40 percent butterfat), which is more economical and often available at warehouse grocery stores. A classic crême brulée uses heavy whipping cream, but as you add rich ingredients, such as chocolate, you may prefer to use a lighter cream for balance.
Sugar
When sugar melts, it turns to caramel which, when cool, becomes very brittle. The caramelized top is the distinguishing feature of creme brulee. Sugar comes in many forms: granulated (regular or table sugar), superfine (finely granulated), confectioners' (also known as powdered or icing sugar), light brown or dark brown (granulated sugar combined with molasses), and raw (unrefined). I tend to use whatever is on hand; either light brown sugar, which has been pre-dried, or superfine sugar have given me excellent results.
Eggs
Always use grade A large eggs. Pay close attention to the date on the carton, and store in the refrigerator. Chilled eggs are easier to separate because the yolks are firmer. The following recipe calls for 8 yolks per 2 cups of cream. This is for a very rich, traditional crême brulée. You may choose to reduce the number of egg yolks listed in the recipe; you may prefer to use half as many yolks or even whole eggs instead. Unlike other baked desserts, custards are not all that fussy and are very forgiving.
Vanilla Beans/Vanilla Extract
Vanilla beans contain tiny seeds that add beauty and flavor. Vanilla extract is a more convenient form of vanilla; always use pure extract, not imitation. Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract, an exceptionally aromatic flavoring, is available at most food specialty shops.
Classic Crême Brulée Recipe
A straightforward and unpretentious creation that is so simple, so rich, so praised!- 8 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar (for the caramelized tops)
Divide mixture among 6 ramekins or custard cups. Place in a water bath and bake until set around the edges, but still loose in the center, about 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove cups from water bath and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days. When ready to serve, sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of sugar over each custard. For best results, use a small, hand-held torch to melt sugar. If you don't have a torch, place under the broiler until sugar melts. Re-chill custards for a few minutes before serving.
Serves 4
This material was reprinted from Debbie Puente's Crême Brulée Page
Café au Lait - café à la française
Café Au Lait is a good and satisfying breakfast drink. It's advisable to choose a dark roast for this one and use big coffee bowls. If you want a sweeter mix, add honey (depending on your taste) while whisking the milk. The honey slightly thickens, yet adds body to your drink...hmmm, delicious!
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups freshly brewed strong hot coffee
- In a small saucepan bring the milk to a boil, whisking all the while to make it frothy. Or heat the milk to a boil and bring it to a froth in a blender for 30 seconds. Pour half the coffee and half the milk simultaneously into each of two bowls. Spoon the froth on top. Serve immediately.
- Serves 2