Ma Vie, Aujourd’hui!

Crêpes, Crêpes, Magical Crêpes!!!

November 16, 2008

Posted in: New York City

At the behest of my foodie friend in Portland, to celebrate her scoring of a crêpe pan for a mere 25 buckeroonies (I think in a vintage shop), I have compiled a couple crêpes recipes pour elle. The first is a splendid recipe for Crêpes Suzette, the ultimate in elusive desserts, renowned but unavailable anywhere. It comes from a charming little book from the 60’s (yes, you heard me) called Les Meilleurs Plats, or “The Best Dishes.” It was handed down to my father from his grandmother’s caretaker, who was one of the most fabulous cooks who’s gastronomy I ever had the pleasure to taste. I believe it’s the superior recipe, for the batter is more detendu (which translates to relaxed, and is applied in cooking to imply that it is more liquid). The second is from Bocuse Dans Votre Cuisine, or “Bocuse in Your Kitchen.” Paul Bocuse is considered one of the greatest chefs of the 20th century, and was awarded the title Meilleure Ouvrier de France in 1961 (Best Chef of the Year).

Crepes Flambees

Ingredients (for 6 people):

• 300 g flour
• 1 liter milk
• 6 eggs
• 200 g butter
• 150 g sugar
• Oil (or melted butter would be better, if I may permit myself!)
• Orange Liquor, Grand Marnier or Cointreau. NO TRIPLE SEC!
• Oranges and lemons
• Salt

Procedure:

For Crêpes:

1. Make the batter ahead of time (at least a few hours).
2. In a bowl, work the eggs into the flour, adding them one at a time.
3. Moisten with ¾ liter milk, just until you get a completely homogeneous batter that is liquid but coats the sides of the bowl.
4. Add 1 or 2 T oil or melted butter and large pinch salt.

For Compound Citrus Butter:

1. While the butter rests in the fridge (covered of course), cut the zest off the oranges and lemons, and finely mince (it doesn’t say how many, just more than one of each).
2. Incorporate zests, sugar, and orange liquor into room-temp butter.

Cooking:

1. Make the crêpes “as usual” (check the following for method). Also check the following recipe for a way of keeping the crêpes warm.
2. Garnish the crêpes with the compound butter. Sprinkle with sugar. Roll them into cigars and place on a metal dish that has been buttered and sugared.
3. Douse in orange liquor, and flambé at the table (That’s only for presentational value, though. Do it wherever you feel safest).

If you lay thin pinwheel slices of orange or lemon on the crêpes before flambéeing, they’ll toast deliciously!

Of course, if you aren’t an arsonist cum cook, and would rather stick to simple finger slicing and hand-burning in the kitchen, you can easily skip the flambéeing, or just use the recipe for the crepe batter and fill them with any non-flaming ingredient you wish. A favorite of mine, and the culprit of my adolescent lumpiness, is Nutella, softened to room temp and then slathered on. Butter and sugar is the all time classic, with lemon juice added if you wish. Any jam applied independently or with a dollop of whipped cream is delicious, as is butter that has been softened and had any citrus zest incorporated into it. Ice cream with chocolate sauce, or any poached fruit are viable possibilities. The dessert chef at Coxinelle once made crêpes filled with pear slices he’d sautéed in butter, sugar, and cinnamon. I later had a dinner party at my house, and his recipe got expanded, through the influence of the various people there, to crêpes filled with pears sautéed in butter, sugar, and crushed cardamom seeds, drizzled with blood orange chocolate sauce (chocolate melted over a bain-marie and doused with blood orange juice and zest), and a touch of whipped cream. It was heavenly, and prompted me to utilize the orange-chocolate-cardamom trinity in various other recipes, including one for biscotti! So good… Also, Alice Waters makes Buckwheat crepes with candied Kumquats and tangerine butter. I’ll get that recette at a later date.

Bocuse’s Recipe (scanned from the French original and followed by my translation):

TEMPS DE PREPARATION: 10 MN
TEMPS DE CUISSON: 5 MN PAR CREPE
INGREDIENTS POUR 6 PERSONNES:
250 G DE FARINE
1/2 LITRE DE LAIT
3 CEUFS
50 G DE BEURRE
1 CUILLEREE A SOUPE DE SUCRE EN POUDRE
1 BONNE PINCEE DE SEL FIN
POUR GRAISSER LA POELE:
HUILE, BEURRE, OU COUENNE DE LARD

Pensez a sortir les ceufs, le beurre, le lait du refrigerateur au minimum 1 h
avant la preparation de la pate.
Faites fondre le beurre au bain-marie ou sur feu tres doux.
Dans un saladier, versez la farine, ajoutez le sucre, Ie sel, les oeufs ; melangez
avec Ie lait froid et delayez delicatement cette pate avec un fouet leger,
ensuite ajoutez Ie beurre fondu. Vous devez obtenir une pate liquide;
laissez-la reposer 1 h environ.
Preparez une grande casserole d’eau chaude posee sur feu doux et
couvrez-la d’une assiette qui vous permettra de garder les crepes au chaud.
Au moment de faire cuire les crepes, faites chauffer une poele de dimension
moyenne, qui n’accroche pas, Iegerement beurree.
Des que votre poele est bien chaude, etalez sur toute la surface de la poele
1 louche de pate, faites dorer sur chaque face pendant 2 mn environ, puis
posez les crepes sur l’assiette chaude en les recouvrant d’une autre assiette
placee it l’envers.
Entre chaque crepe, beurrez ou huilez la poele avec un pinceau ou un morceau
de papier gras, au mieux, avec nne couenne de lard (pas trop degraissee)
piquee sur une fourchette.
Servez les crepes accompagnees de miel, de cerneaux de noix, de confitures
diverses, de gelees de fruits, ou de creme de marron

Ingredients (for 6 people)

• Length of preparation: 10 minutes
• Cooking time: 5 minutes per crepes
• Ingredients for 6 people:
• 250 g flour
• ½ liter milk
• 3 eggs
• 50 g butter
• 1 T sugar
• Generous pinch fine salt
• Grease pan with either oil, butter, or lard.

Procedure:

Batter:

1. Take eggs, butter, and milk out of refrigerator at lest an hour in advance.
2. Melt butter in a bain-marie or on very low fire.
3. In a large bowl, pour flour, sugar, salt, and eggs (one at a time). Using a whisk, delicately mix with milk.
4. Next, add the melted butter. The batter should be liquid. Let rest 1 hour.

Cooking:

1. Fill a large pot with hot water, and keep simmering over low heat. Cover the pot with a plate, which will permit you to keep the reserved crêpes warm.
2. Heat a greased, medium sized, non-stick pan.
3. When the pan is thoroughly heated, spread a full ladle-full of batter over the surface of the pan.
4. Reserve the cooked crêpes on the heating plate, covered by another inverted plate.
5. Between each crêpe, re-grease the pan.

He suggests serving crêpes with honey, nuts, various jams, candied fruits, or chestnut paste.

Enjoyez-vous, mes amies!

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