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The Delayed Christmas Story- Part 3: Sweet Dreams Before Christmas
Preparing for Christmas was a lot a lot of joy, mainly because the whole day was spent basically in the kitchen, with lots and lots of food breaks in between. The next morning, Nadia and I greeted Auntie Laila/ She, of course, was already up and about in the kitchen, excited about the day after. The Christmas feast things were all laid out in front of us, and we got started right away after a light breakfast of crumpets, chucked away in the oven for a bit with a slice of (was it) Cheddar (?) Well the essence is, crumpets and cheese go well together, let me tell you that ;)
Never thought I'd blogged about crumpets, gosh. But frankly, that WAS the first time I had it. I had to wait for someone I consider British enough to introduce me to it; wouldn't be caught dead eating it cicah sambal or something.. would i? hehe. That, or I simply haven't gotten around to grabbing a pack of 'em at Sainsbury's.
After Breakfast, we prepared the "winter" vegetables. I mean I have had been cooking for Christmas before when I spent my first ever Christmas chez les Bellards in Winter 2004, but they were French and they liked MEAT. Meat with acidic, sweet fruity sauce. Not that that alone was a fair judgement for French culinaire in general, but... I would like to think the British were more traditional and wholesome in preparing complements for the protagonist of the day; The Turkey! (more later!)
They consisted of
Never thought I'd blogged about crumpets, gosh. But frankly, that WAS the first time I had it. I had to wait for someone I consider British enough to introduce me to it; wouldn't be caught dead eating it cicah sambal or something.. would i? hehe. That, or I simply haven't gotten around to grabbing a pack of 'em at Sainsbury's.
After Breakfast, we prepared the "winter" vegetables. I mean I have had been cooking for Christmas before when I spent my first ever Christmas chez les Bellards in Winter 2004, but they were French and they liked MEAT. Meat with acidic, sweet fruity sauce. Not that that alone was a fair judgement for French culinaire in general, but... I would like to think the British were more traditional and wholesome in preparing complements for the protagonist of the day; The Turkey! (more later!)
They consisted of
- Parsnips
- Carrots
- Brussel Sprouts (My first experience cooking and paying much attention to them, think I have eaten them before, somewhere, sometime)
Nadia takmo kalah; rushed to susun2 the carrots nicely.
I later found out that I LOVE THEM. People growing on this side of the world tend to have bad childhood experiences with them (like Broccolis which I so totally didn't and couldn't understand until now), but for lucky me, I met BS much later in life, when I can appreciate the special gout and very very particular taste of its juice when cooked succulently enough. Here's a quick tip to preparing Brussel Sprouts I found, though I prefer how Auntie Laila does it; boiling them with out having to half (or quartering them), ie; as they are.
Turned out preparing the vegetables were really simple so Nadia and I took our day off of the kitchen to explore a bit of Auntie Laila and Uncle Brian's place; the Redstone House, a wonderful house to call a Christmas getaway.
While occasionally going back in checking out how the vegetables were going.. ;)
The parnsips cut into battonets, chopped up and s ready to be grilled.
A glimpse of the prepared carrots
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The Delayed Christmas Story- Part 2: The Stuffing Story
Till late in the evening before a scrumptious dinner of (greasy) but really really good and traditional fish and chips, (or was it after, can't really recall) we were already on our way to making that big Christmas Feast we were planning for 25th December. Auntie Laila decided that Nadia and I would be of help with the Bread Sauce and the stuffings for the Turkey (!!!).
To make bread sauce, we started of by sticking cloves (lots if u like) into a ball (?) of skinned onion and boiled it on milk. You would think at first whaaa?? but you wouldn't believe if I tell you how much the uncut onion with sticking cloves in it is able to infuse its tastes and spicy twang flavour into the milk.
With Auntie Laila's lush sprigs of fresh bay leaves (which has an awesome! smell) and ground nutmeg, I was loving how something as "dairy" and "sweet" as milk has turned spicy and savoury.
To make bread sauce, we started of by sticking cloves (lots if u like) into a ball (?) of skinned onion and boiled it on milk. You would think at first whaaa?? but you wouldn't believe if I tell you how much the uncut onion with sticking cloves in it is able to infuse its tastes and spicy twang flavour into the milk.
With Auntie Laila's lush sprigs of fresh bay leaves (which has an awesome! smell) and ground nutmeg, I was loving how something as "dairy" and "sweet" as milk has turned spicy and savoury.
The thing about western cooking I love is how distinctly (from Asian cooking) the spices are prepared. Asians LOVE mincing and dicing and knocking and chopping up onions and garlic and ginger so as to ensure flavour seeps through into the cooking while sticking up dried spice items into a ball of onion and throwing leaves into a concoction does nothing less than just the same thing. (Please note that this is very much an amateur level observation, merely from my minimal unprofessional experience)
Again, I ripped off Delia's recipe for bread sauce ;)
Again, I ripped off Delia's recipe for bread sauce ;)
Cut the onion in half and stick the cloves in it – how many you use is a personal matter; I happen to like a pronounced flavour of clove. If you don't like them at all, you can use some freshly grated nutmeg instead. Place the onion – studded with cloves – plus the bay leaf and the peppercorns, in a saucepan together with the milk. Add some salt then bring everything up to boiling point. Take off the heat, cover the pan and leave in a warm place for the milk to infuse for two hours or more.
When you're ready to make the sauce, remove the onion, bay leaf and peppercorns and keep them on one side. Stir the breadcrumbs into the milk and add 1 oz (25 g) of the butter. Leave the saucepan on a very low heat, stirring now and then, until the crumbs have swollen and thickened the sauce – about 15 minutes. Now replace the clove-studded onion, the bay leaf and the peppercorns and again leave the pan in a warm place until the sauce is needed.
Just before serving, remove the onion and spices. Reheat gently then beat in the remaining butter and the cream and taste to check the seasoning. Pour into a warm serving jug.
And so we started off rolling the sage and onion stuffing and raspberry (if I recall correctly) into balls. As I learned, they weren't even stuffed at all (I thought we would chuck these into the body of the bird). Anyhow, courtesy of Mr Paxo, we didn't have to get our hands dirty making these from scratch ;) (A classic, "just-add-water story!) Well, ok, we did get them dirty MAKING the round balls, but hey it was good good fun! Well worth the sticky hands.
We then glazed the stuffing balls with melted butter. This, as I later discovered while eating them on Christmas day, gives the crunchy golden "fried" effect to the stuffings after they are, well not so literally of course, "thrown" into the oven.
Gorgeous, gorgeous little things aren't they?
Next, the day before Christmas in Part 3! ;)
We then glazed the stuffing balls with melted butter. This, as I later discovered while eating them on Christmas day, gives the crunchy golden "fried" effect to the stuffings after they are, well not so literally of course, "thrown" into the oven.
Gorgeous, gorgeous little things aren't they?
Next, the day before Christmas in Part 3! ;)
Monday, July 21, 2008
The Delayed Christmas Story- Part 1
I had pictures from last Christmas sitting in my hard disk for the longest time ever, and every time I was reminded of them, I told myself I was going to what was due of me for the longest time- and yet always found a reason to delay it further. Now, almost 25th July, a good 7 months after Christmas 2007, I finally convinced myself I had no other reason to laze off and got my butt to start typing away about the most gorgeous Christmas meal I've ever had- Christmas in France was amazing, if only I knew and understood half of what I was eating!!! ;) And of course, it was too long ago that I didn't have the conscience to photograph those wondrous salmon medallions and red berry sauced poultry...aahhh.
Lol, anyhow, this time, Christmas was at Uncle Brian's and Auntie Laila's and they were THE BEST PEOPLE to spend Christmas with if you want a true true traditional meal. And I am talking about Christmas puddings, cakes, roasted vegetables, bread sauce and apple ciders. (Well they had proper liquor, ones I can't get my hands on- but no worries! the rest of the meal made up for it!!)
So on the first day, when Nadia and I arrived at the Redstone House (Auntie Laila and Uncle Brian's place in Ashford near Canterbury), we were greeted with delightful little things called mince pies. For newbies like me, mincemeat, in this sense, are not at all beef! The mincemeat fillings of mince pies are actually a mix of dried fruits and spices (wiki definition: mincemeat). These little tarts are soft, crumbly short-crusted pies, powdered with icing sugar.
Here's a quick recipe: Delia's Christmas Mince Pies ;)
Lol, anyhow, this time, Christmas was at Uncle Brian's and Auntie Laila's and they were THE BEST PEOPLE to spend Christmas with if you want a true true traditional meal. And I am talking about Christmas puddings, cakes, roasted vegetables, bread sauce and apple ciders. (Well they had proper liquor, ones I can't get my hands on- but no worries! the rest of the meal made up for it!!)
So on the first day, when Nadia and I arrived at the Redstone House (Auntie Laila and Uncle Brian's place in Ashford near Canterbury), we were greeted with delightful little things called mince pies. For newbies like me, mincemeat, in this sense, are not at all beef! The mincemeat fillings of mince pies are actually a mix of dried fruits and spices (wiki definition: mincemeat). These little tarts are soft, crumbly short-crusted pies, powdered with icing sugar.
Here's a quick recipe: Delia's Christmas Mince Pies ;)
Make up the pastry by sifting the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and rubbing the fats into it until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Then add just enough cold water to mix to a dough that leaves the bowl clean. Leave the pastry to rest in a polythene bag in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes, then roll half of it out as thinly as possible and cut it into two dozen 3 inch (7.5 cm) rounds, gathering up the scraps and re-rolling. Then do the same with the other half of the pastry, this time using the 2½ inch (6 cm) cutter.
Now grease the patty tins lightly and line them with the larger rounds. Fill these with mincemeat to the level of the edges of the pastry. Dampen the edges of the smaller rounds of pastry with water and press them lightly into position to form lids, sealing the edges. Brush each one with milk and make three snips in the tops with a pair of scissors. Bake near the top of the oven for 25-30 minutes until light golden brown. Cool on a wire tray and sprinkle with icing sugar. When cool, store in an airtight container.
This recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Christmas.
Auntie Laila had the most amazing kitchen ever, small but just nice and comfortable to prepare a cottage feast. What I love most is the fact that it is situated RIGHT in front of the main door to the house, ie: You enter the house and face the kitchen glass-paned door! It only shows how the kitchen is the most important and also welcoming room in the house- a prospect I absolutely adore!
For example, I love this ancient (but still bright, shiny and well-oiled) weighing machine that we used to weigh up ingredients to make a Pavlova (or Meringue). It was my first time making Pavlova, so I was excited! She chose to make Brown Sugar Pavlova, a basic nevertheless able to give you the traditional old cottage-ish flavour, and then decorate it lushly with nectarines and fruits. (Uncle Brian was happily sent off to Sainsbury's many times to get stocks of fresh berries and breakfast things for this!)
So we were off to making my first Pavlova! Of course, carefully not to taint the fragile egg white batter with water, we used the food processor to do the beating of the brown sugar and egg white.
We then had to use good old hand muscles to beat them carefully as to avoid the batter to fall. The battle was between Auntie Laila, me and Nadia (to see who would last longest), and the experienced and still awfully strong Auntie Laila won!
The beautiful, beautiful batter turn out good and we popped it in the oven to bake it, while we went off for more minced pies and cafe latte~!
More on the day BEFORE christmas and wonderful memories in the kitchen in Part 2 ;)
For example, I love this ancient (but still bright, shiny and well-oiled) weighing machine that we used to weigh up ingredients to make a Pavlova (or Meringue). It was my first time making Pavlova, so I was excited! She chose to make Brown Sugar Pavlova, a basic nevertheless able to give you the traditional old cottage-ish flavour, and then decorate it lushly with nectarines and fruits. (Uncle Brian was happily sent off to Sainsbury's many times to get stocks of fresh berries and breakfast things for this!)
So we were off to making my first Pavlova! Of course, carefully not to taint the fragile egg white batter with water, we used the food processor to do the beating of the brown sugar and egg white.
We then had to use good old hand muscles to beat them carefully as to avoid the batter to fall. The battle was between Auntie Laila, me and Nadia (to see who would last longest), and the experienced and still awfully strong Auntie Laila won!
The beautiful, beautiful batter turn out good and we popped it in the oven to bake it, while we went off for more minced pies and cafe latte~!
More on the day BEFORE christmas and wonderful memories in the kitchen in Part 2 ;)
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Recipe: Red Velvet Cake
I've never done it before. But like a commenter says, you just need to get the base right and then you can opt for any kind of frosting/ toppings you would like. To be honest, I am not the slightest bit a "baker." My talents (if any) is made for the rapid, fast- paced kitchen with entrees, savoury starters and meat and broth.
After the superlicious experience of biting into my first red velvet muffin at Hummingbird's, I am definitely positive about making my own, or at least for the benefit of "interesteds" out there. Although the red colour, I found, is merely food coloring, I still want to fantasize about it being a lush, more organic, less artificial, raspberry or any red berry mash. As I thought it was. Despite the absence of acidic tastes berries might give.
Voila, a southern red velvet cake batter recipe. Muffin or gateau. And also, a cream cheese frosting, the spouse red velvet should never divorce, according to yours truly ;)
SOUTHERN RED VELVET
Vegetable oil for the pans
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
Crushed pecans, for garnish Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour 3 (9 by 1 1/2-inch round) cake pans.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.
Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely.
Frost the cake. Place 1 layer, rounded-side down, in the middle of a rotating cake stand. Using a palette knife or offset spatula spread some of the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake. (Spread enough frosting to make a 1/4 to 1/2-inch layer.) Carefully set another layer on top, rounded-side down, and repeat. Top with the remaining layer and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with the pecans.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.)
Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Yield: enough to frost a 3 layer (9-inch) cake
I reckon I will find some time for this. I might even drop in a berry or two to meddle the texture to add more moist.
To friends, do not take my word for it. That it will turn out well. Will give updates on when it happens.
After the superlicious experience of biting into my first red velvet muffin at Hummingbird's, I am definitely positive about making my own, or at least for the benefit of "interesteds" out there. Although the red colour, I found, is merely food coloring, I still want to fantasize about it being a lush, more organic, less artificial, raspberry or any red berry mash. As I thought it was. Despite the absence of acidic tastes berries might give.
Voila, a southern red velvet cake batter recipe. Muffin or gateau. And also, a cream cheese frosting, the spouse red velvet should never divorce, according to yours truly ;)
SOUTHERN RED VELVET
Vegetable oil for the pans
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
Crushed pecans, for garnish Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour 3 (9 by 1 1/2-inch round) cake pans.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.
Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely.
Frost the cake. Place 1 layer, rounded-side down, in the middle of a rotating cake stand. Using a palette knife or offset spatula spread some of the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake. (Spread enough frosting to make a 1/4 to 1/2-inch layer.) Carefully set another layer on top, rounded-side down, and repeat. Top with the remaining layer and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with the pecans.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.)
Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Yield: enough to frost a 3 layer (9-inch) cake
I reckon I will find some time for this. I might even drop in a berry or two to meddle the texture to add more moist.
To friends, do not take my word for it. That it will turn out well. Will give updates on when it happens.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
I Hummed to Cupcakes
Once upon a time in South Kensington...
Zakiyyah. She had been going on and on about Hummingbird for like, ever. She even gave out business cards of the little bakery amongst the sisters in the prayer's room. Well, I saw them- I immediately suspected it was her. (sorry Zak!)
So "after-exam" finally came. So did the "I-must-see-London-like-a-tourist." The whole Natural Museum and St Paul's Sunday morning mass affair tired us out so badly that by 1 p.m. we decided we were in desperate need of recharging. For desserts, we decided to take away some cupcakes. Since we were in the west and South Kensington area, Miss Z insisted. I of course, was thrilled to finally meet the Hummingbird for the first time.
When I first saw them that cold January night I passed by it, I was immediately taken with the cupcake rack they had on their windows. I had a feeling then that the love affair Z had with hummingbird was justified.
It indeed had a notable, distinct character. Yeah they had the usual guilty pleasures, brownies, cheese cake squares, the likes... but what was distinct was that besides these few exceptions, ALMOST ALL their offerings were in CUPCAKE form!
Under usual circumstances, this rainbow looking spread would have had me running miles away from. But looking at these delightful things, I could almost taste the sweetlings in my mouth.
Take this coolness-looking strawberry cheese muffin topped with a huge dollop of cream cheese icing:
And this fantasmic delight they call "red velvet"- a rich dark red raspberry cake base cupcake with cream cheese icing:
What really was interesting was these Salami, herbs, cheese cupcake!! (My first ever encounter with a savoury cupcake- really it isn't THE MOST original idea ever- anyone could have thought of it, but really I guess no one ever did. Well, no one I know at least ;)
I also managed to snap a pic on this devil-ish looking choc brownie and cheese block. I mean come on, topped so cutely with that half a raspberry, no one in their right mind can't deny it's power over one's self...
The Red Velvet and Strawberry Cheesecake really did not dissapoint me. Really. The softness and smooth texture was orgasmic! To say the least! Hihi... The subtleness of the strawberry cream (very very light) base at the bottom of Strawberry Cheesecake took my breath away as I have never been that big a fan of anything strawberry except the fruit itself. The oh-so-rich icing cream cheese topping can be a bit on the (really) sweet side- but on a whole, every bite I took was ooh-la-la!!!
And I lived happily ever after.... ;) (well for the rest of the day)
Friday, May 30, 2008
Leon-ing on That Cold Summer Day
Since Nadia Mydin came all the way and I was away for the weekend, I was naughty enough to bully her into coming to Leon at Bankside, in hope for the summer menu. I felt bad, as not only it was rainy, and she and Fez had to drag along her luggage and be straight on their way to St Pancras International, but also because Leon and Allegra still have yet to mesmerize us with a the awaited summer menu.
Exam season is almost over, while it is just starting for Miss Nadia. That little outing was possibly the last of those 90's nights and random weekends I will have with them. I am nevertheless, happy to report that the delight that accompanied us, however, was nothing short of a disappointment!!!
Our dear smart Faez suggested they bring along Churros, which I thought were Palmiers. I insisted that I couldn't find any of these churros things, to Nadia, during my trip to Espana, NOT even at that famous fancy patissiere in Sevilla. Being lazy enough to drag myself up to Bayswater for coffee and churros, they brought it here!
By saying this, Nadia would be displeased. But I said it anyways.
I truly think there is a chinese/ Malaysian name for Churros. CAKOI! HAHA.
But yeah, I was slightly mislead. These fried pastries have similar properties of cakoi, yet they were more "filled" and "sturdy." It was properly compact, and the batter was slightly salted, that the clash of this fried saltiness and sweet icing and cinnamon sugar topping was quite extraordinary.
Tried my best to capture the interior texture
I was told nothing goes better than Churros than black, black coffee. So we dipped away into Fez's Americana. Even after havong 20 of these delightful things, they still kept me wanting more!
A typical arrangement
Not exactly cuisine extraordinaire I know, but that's what they are all about them lot. Small daily pleasures!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
The Day I Talk About Nutella
Alors! We had crepe! To my dear friends who had seen crepes for their first time secretly wonders why we are paying €4.00 for a "lempeng". I of course have been there done that. Hahah, I insisted crepes ARE essentially french for lempeng. It is technically simply the idea of a batter of flour, maybe eggs, maybe not, maybe sugar maybe not, maybe milk maybe not, cooked on a flat platter and made into a thin soft round "pastry."
The thing that attracted us into La Banane (The Banana) was well, basically the fact that it was one of the cafes that was indoors, it was raining, and this little "OPEN/ BUKA" sign.
Of which, after having a delightful chat with the owner, was bought in l'Indonesie (haha oh well close enough). But why the banana? I mean haha come on! Apparently the place was famous with mediterranean harvests (Nice is part of Provence Region, "Door of Mediterranean to France")- one of it evidently are Bananas. Underground, in a cellar under the shop, bananas harvested are kept to mature and ripe. Hence, the name of the little cafe. Original. Haha! but still.
The first time I had crepe, was when we were made to sell them at the International Language Festival, at which the French Club of Sekolah Menengah Sains Hulu Selangor (my Alma Matter) had some really colorful characters mending the batter part of the production.
The 2nd time I had crepe, it was in La Rochelle where Annick, my dear French mother, sat us down at a typical french cafe near the La Rochelle dock, looking over the lighthouse. That was my first NUTELLA crepe. So I decided to relive the taste, and opted for a Crepe Sucre (sweet) avec Nutella.
The softness of the pastry, contradicted with the dry powdery flour on the crepe brought back memories. Without a doubt, as expected, the super-thick warm nutella created another sensation in the mouth. I might be exagerrating, u say- it's just crepe! But I love being aware of what I eat, more than anything else. So sue me! ;)
The next day, just to sit, we decided to have another one. This time, a cheaper one. Nevertheless, the experience was much more... unexpected!
This Madame started off our crepe Nutella with the premade better on a hot pan, outside her little cafe!
...and the Nutella came next, when the crepe has browned.
After Nutella, it is wrapped once, and then again...
This recipe I found, is the basic way to make the crepe base. One can basically put ANYTHING, and I mean ANYTHING one desires with one's crepe.
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 eggs
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup melted butter
PREPARATION:
Beat eggs until smooth. Add milk and butter. Sift flour and salt; gradually add to egg mixture. Beat until the batter is smooth. Batter will be thin, like heavy cream. If possible, let the batter rest for 2 hours at room temperature or 8 to 10 hours in the refrigerator.
Grease skillet or crepe pan lightly; heat until fat is sizzling hot. Pour batter into pan and rotate quickly to distribute batter. If batter seems too thick, add more milk in very small amounts until consistancy is corrected.
Cook crepe until light brown; turn to cook other side. Remove from pan, lightly grease the pan, and continue cooking until batter is used. Fill crepes with desired filling or cool, wrap and refrigerate until ready to fill.
Downing it all with a good 'ol cup of cafe au lait
One notable experience I had was a crepe salee (savoury) with a half cooked bulls eye egg on top of salmon and the crepe was wrapped around the egg yolk. My lycee English teacher favoured me the moment she heard me spoke english- (I was always told exchange students should find the english teacher the best bet!)- and hence the delightful experience of the crepe au saumon in a fancy crepe house. And yes, the price can get fancy as well!
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