Blueberry Crepe Recipe

As I told you yesterday, I made crêpes as an experiment to see how well they keep in the freezer. Unfortunately, the crêpes haven’t been able to make it to leftover status, and here's a big part of  the reason why. After making savory crêpes filled with beets and goat cheese, we filled the remaining crêpes with blueberries, vanilla whipped cream and guava sauce. Needless to say, they went fast!

Crêpes are a quick and easy dessert if you can manage to store some in the freezer. If you are looking for a sweet way to end dinner, just pair crêpes with fresh fruits, chocolate sauce, other fruit preserves and whipped cream (or yogurt). You just can’t go wrong.

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Deconstructed S'mores Recipe (Chocolate Peanut Butter Dessert Cups)

S'mores are a classic campfire dessert. Generally, only chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers are necessary for this American treat. As a French person, nothing symbolizes American desserts more than peanut butter, so I had to add some to the dish.

This summer we decided to make use of a little outdoor fireplace on our property (we've been in this home for 6 years; I know we're pretty slow). We spent so many evenings roasting marshmallows and telling scary stories.

I noticed the girls would smear chocolate everywhere, which makes the laundry not so fun. So I served these desserts in verrines (dessert cups). I don't know if making deconstructed s'mores reduced our laundry chores, but it tasted amazing!

*The dessert was inspired by Chef Catherine Schimenti (Chef Michael Mina's pastry chef), which was served during the Sugar Party at SFChefs 2010.

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Nutella Crepes with Kiwi

Chocolate and kiwi are two of my favorite flavors. When combined, they enhance one another, creating subtleties that cannot be found in either ingredient on its own. In the past I've used them in cakes and other desserts, and today I thought it would be fun to use the combo as a crepe filling.

The chocolate part of the equation is satisfied by the French mainstay Nutella. Nutella, in case you don't know, is a chocolate hazelnut spread. I wasn't sure at first how the hazelnuts would play with kiwi, but after tasting the finished product, I can't imagine it any other way!

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Crepe Party: La Chandeleur

Today (February 2nd) is La Chandeleur and crêpes are part of the French celebration. For those who don't know, a crêpe is a very thin pancake. The legend says that if you catch the crêpe flat (without it being wrinkled) with a pan after tossing it in the air with your left hand while holding a coin in your right hand, you will have a prosperous year until the next Chandeleur.



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Crepe Cake with Butterscotch Cream

Mille Crêpe, also known as Gâteau de Crêpe, is a multi-layered cake made out of crêpes. I spread layers of butterscotch buttercream in between each crêpe and topped the cake with thinly-sliced candied apples. This is quite time-consuming to make in miniature versions, but you can always make large crêpes and cut the cake into slices as you would with regular buttercream cakes.

I made the cake in honor of La chandeleur (Candlemas), which is celebrated on February 2^nd. It's originally a Christian tradition that celebrates the presentation of Jesus at the Temple and also marks the end of the Epiphany season (Kings' galettes are made). I don't exactly know how crêpes became part of the French celebration of La Chandeleur, but I do know that they are an integral part of the festivities. There is a legend that says that on the day of La Chandeleur, if you're able to flip a crêpe and make it land properly (without it being wrinkled) in the pan without dropping it on the floor, you'll have a prosperous year. Originally,  prosperity referred to a bumper crop of grain, but with fewer and fewer people farming for a living, over time it's come to imply general wealth. In a way it's an enduring testament to the agrarian culture of yore. That culture has survived in other ways too; in fact the saying avoir beaucoup de blé, which literally means "To have a lot of wheat", is slang for "being wealthy".

If you want to practice, prepare the crêpe batter a couple of days in advance, cook a few, and try to flip them. It may not fill your pocketbook, but it's a great way to fill your tummy.

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