Food for My Family » Breakfast

Stuffed French Toast with Gingerbread Praline Sauce: A Christmas Breakfast

Shaina — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:43:22 +0000

A warm and spiced breakfast just waiting to awaken your senses Christmas morning, with you surrounded by family and a plate piled high with cardamom cream stuffed French toast swimming in gingerbread praline sauce.

The gifts already sit under the tree, wrapped and calling to the kids. Only the stockings have yet to be filled. For the first three days they squealed and sorted the piles into the ones with their names. They added bows to the tops from the stash in the wrapping box. Then they wrapped the gifts for their cousins and their grandparents and added them to the pile, sweetly writing the “to” and “love” portions of the homemade labels on each gift and imagining the delight the recipient would show as they opened the packaging.

Our Christmas morning at home traditionally takes place on Christmas Eve before heading out to run from one family event to another, sweeping in, staying a while and then taking off for the next one. The kids will be covered in kisses and gifted presents and offered sweet treats at each house, and yet, at the heart of it all is something more.

For Christmas, whether you head to church, to family or the theater, I hope you have the chance to share it with those you love. To give of yourself, and to receive fully. And if Christmas isn’t what you are celebrating this season, the same holds true. A good, warm breakfast shared with those closest to you can be one of the best gifts of the year.

If gingerbread flavor isn’t your thing, you can just omit the spices from the praline sauce.

Stuffed French Toast with Gingerbread Praline Sauce

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For the Gingerbread Praline Sauce:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1/3 cup chopped pecans

For the French Toast:
1 loaf crusty, day-old bread (like challah, a crusty french loaf or brioche)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
butter for grilling

Make the gingerbread praline sauce: In a saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add in brown sugar and molasses and heat until sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the cream slowly. Stir in fresh ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently, 8-10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and lime juice. Mix in pecans. Serve warm over french toast.

Slice the loaf of crusty bread lengthwise, making a 1-1/2″ slit along the side. In a small bowl, blend together cream cheese, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and cardamom until well mixed. Spread the cream cheese evenly in the slit in the bread. Cut the bread into 1″-thick slices.

Preheat a griddle to 375º F and oven to 275º F. In a shallow bowl or plate, beat together eggs, milk, brown sugar, remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla and salt. Soak bread on both sides in the egg mixture. Lightly butter griddle or pan. Place soaked bread slices on the preheated griddle and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and repeat on the next side. Move toast to a baking sheet and store in a warm oven for 5-10 minutes while you finish the remaining pieces of bread. Serve warm with the gingerbread praline sauce.

Makes 12-15 pieces of French toast.

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Creamy Cardamom Pear Oatmeal

Shaina — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 20:57:57 +0000

Easy steel cut oatmeal, kissed with cardamom and cream and full of the season’s finest pears. This is one breakfast worth getting up for.

The world is silent, and I, in my house, stare out at the leaves, blowing in the cool wind. It’s a wind that can ever so craftily find the seams of your coat, inviting itself through layers of wool sweater and cotton undershirt until it chills your skin.

Yet the sun shines as the leaves blow, and sometimes a few golden rays are all that is needed for the air to feel warmer and the outlook of life to seem brighter. The gray days have not yet arrived, and the shining sun still imparts a relative level of warmth should you turn your face to it, close your eyes and drink it in.

Here in the midst of life, I’m holed up with deadlines enjoying that soft sunshine from the window and then from the backyard as I pack up the last of the summer toys, rip dried tomatoes from the garden and turn the compost pile once more before the snow comes and the gray days of winter begin.

I’ll take what little bits I can get these days, sending my kids out to rake the crisp and colorful leaves into a pile, a pile they can then jump in before they turn again to run the prongs through the same leaves.

Warm and hearty breakfasts become things of necessity as the sun fades, keeping the chill away. This particular one has three cooking methods to help you choose the easiest and most convenient one for you. If you look closely, you can see the bits of cardamom singing sweetly and reminding you that the sun will shine again soon.

You can still enter to win the Zojirushi Umami Rice Cooker!

Cardamom Pear Oatmeal

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2 1/2 cups water
1 cup steel cut oats
3 tablespoons muscovado sugar, dark brown sugar or maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup half and half or whole milk
2 pears, diced

Overnight Stove-top Directions:

In the evening, bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add in oatmeal, stir to moisten all the oats. Cover and remove from heat, allowing to cool slightly. Store the pot in the refrigerator until morning.

The next morning, stir in brown sugar, ginger, cardamom, salt, half and half and pear pieces. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, 10-15 minutes until thick and creamy. Serve immediately.

Stove-top Directions:

Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in the oatmeal and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until oatmeal begins to thicken. Reduce heat to medium-low. Mix in brown sugar, ginger, cardarmom, salt, half and half and pears. Continue to simmer uncovered for 30-35 minutes until oatmeal is thick and creamy. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Umami Rice Cooker Directions:

Mix together all the ingredients in the bowl of the rice cooker. Stir with the paddle to combine. Place the bowl into the rice cooker and close. Choose the porridge setting and press start. When the cycle is finished, stir the oatmeal well. Allow to continue warming until you are ready to eat, up to 3 hours, or serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.
Copyright © Food for My Family.

NOTE: I’m sure you could also make this with a slow cooker. However, our beloved Crock Pot broke five years ago. We have yet to replace it. I’ve heard that different slow cookers have different temperatures, so know your appliance and give it an approximation. My advice would be low and slow. Good luck, and please let me know if you attempt it with any success!

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Pumpkin Pie Coffee Cake with Crumbled Pecan Topping

Shaina — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:39:39 +0000

This pumpkin pie coffee cake with crumbled pecan topping will be welcome at any fall breakfast or brunch.

I fought hard against the changing temperatures this year. Pretty as they are, I was not looking forward to the changing leaves. I wanted to close my eyes and stay in August forever, and then September was here, with its back-to-school busy and its cool breeze.

Slowly peaches turned to apples, and as my neighbors’ oak tree in the front yard starts to shift ever so slightly to a shade of red (as opposed to the yellow of last year), I’m remembering that it’s the changing of the seasons I appreciate most about where I live.

There’s something reassuring about life when you see plants go dormant for the winter, burrowing underground and waiting for the sun to warm again and then returning green and vibrant in the spring.

It’s in this seasonality that I find myself breathing deep, and now rather than wishing for August, I am instead looking to extend the mild autumn temperatures, where just a sweater can warm and there is no need yet for bulky winter coats and mittens that make even the smallest tasks like itching your nose awkward.

I will admit I’ve been buying apples for weeks now, stuffing them in lunch boxes and setting them out on the table for the kids to grab as a snack whenever they please, but it’s the pumpkins that make me think of fall.

Truth be told, I live with a husband who is not as interested in pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie fruit roll-ups as I am; however, I caught him going back for a second slice of this moist coffee cake when it was served alongside steak and eggs for dinner last night.

Filled with spices reminiscent of the coming holidays and topped with a pecan crumble topping, intended to caramelize just slightly in the oven, this coffee cake works well as breakfast, but don’t hesitate to call it dessert and serve it with a scoop of ice cream. (I know of a salted caramel variety that would pair nicely.)

Pumpkin Pie Coffee Cake

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2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the crumbled pecan topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line an 8×8″ square baking pan with parchment. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside. In a stand mixer or using hand blenders, cream together butter and sugar. Add in eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in pumpkin puree, sour cream and vanilla until incorporated. Slowly add in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, while mixing on a low speed.

Pour cake batter into prepared pan, spreading into an even layer. Prepare the topping. In a bowl combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut butter into small 1/2″ pieces and add to sugar mixture, cutting in with a pastry cutter or a fork. Stir in pecans.

Spread topping mixture over cake batter. Bake at 350° F for 40-45 minutes or until top starts to brown lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 9 large pieces.

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Baked Apple Puff Pancake and The Whole Family Cookbook

Shaina — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:43:26 +0000

An easy-to-make baked apple puff pancake is perfect for breakfast for dinner or a late Saturday brunch, and it’s just the thing to get the whole family involved and cooking in the kitchen.

My very first memory took place in a kitchen. A tornado was also involved. When I got older (as in past the age of one), I started making my way up on top of the kitchen desk to where the cookbooks were lined up, taking them down and turning their pages. Up there on that shelf was Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for Boys and Girls, a cookbook that taught me how to chop, dice and bake because, well, my mom wasn’t so interested in those things.

Breaking it down into easy-to-follow steps, I made my first ever meal for my family when I was just six or seven. Roasted chicken, green bean almondine and a from-scratch yeast bread (shaped like a turtle, thank you) were all on the menu. I instantly wanted to dig further into the depths of the cookbook, trying new recipes, looking for new foods and forcing my family to come along with me. That cookbook had such a great impact on me, imagine my excitement when a dear friend of mine wrote her own.

In The Whole Family Cookbook, Michelle Stern of What’s Cooking with Kids has taken easy-to-folow steps and 75 recipes and paired them with tips to get your kids involved, information on eating locally and sustainable environmental practices and put it all in one book that is meant to engage all ages. For a new generation of responsible cooks, I am thrilled to be able to let my kids thumb through the pages of this book and choose what they want to make for dinner.

My copy of Michelle’s book arrived, and we were instantly drawn to the baked apple puff on account of its breakfast-like nature, but also because it involved cracking eggs, which my kids love to do. Some children are more experienced in this house, but practice makes perfect.

Little hands measured and mixed the milk, vanilla, sugar, flour and spices into the eggs.

Because we were leaving several apples exposed on top and not stirred into the pancake, we tossed the whole lot in a bit of lemon juice.

Melt butter in an ovenproof skillet and add 3/4 of the apples. By the time you get all the apples in a single layer, you’ll be ready to pour the batter over.

And once you’ve covered up the first layer of apples, add another before popping the whole thing into the oven.

As you clean up the counters and set the table with the kids, all that mixing will be puffing up in the oven into a golden pancake, perfect for dinner or breakfast or an easy brunch served alongside bowls of fruit and egg dishes.

Plus, you can win one! I’m giving away a copy of The Whole Family Cookbook to one lucky reader who tells me a story about one of your first food experiences or cooking memories as a kid. Just comment to enter. This giveaway will run until Monday, June 6th at 11:59 p.m. EDT and is open to all U.S. residents. A winner will be chosen at random using Random.org from all eligible entries.

This recipe has been adapted from The Whole Family Cookbook by Michelle Stern.

What I changed from the original:
::I wanted this to be a bit sweeter in the batter rather than sprinkle the sugar on top to cook it in, so I added the sugar straight to the batter.
::I have a thing for cardamom. It’s nearly a disease how often I sprinkle it in. This recipe is no exception.
::I adjusted the apple cooking method, tossing them in lemon juice and barely cooking them at all before pouring the batter over and tossing them in the oven. This resulted in cooked apples that still held their shape, but rest assured they were cooked through.
::Because I left out the sugar from the top, I offer powdered sugar or maple syrup to go alongside the pancake, but it’s not really necessary.

Baked Apple Puff Pancake

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3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 medium-sized apples
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 lemon
powdered sugar or maple syrup to serve

Preheat oven to 450° F. In a medium bowl, crack eggs. Beat lightly and then mix in milk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, whisking in. Continue to mix until everything is well blended.

Cut apples into thin slices and toss with juice from half a lemon. In a 10″ ovenproof skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add 3/4 of the apple slices in a single layer to the pan. Allow to cook for 60 seconds. Pour the batter over the apple slices, covering them completely. Take the remaining 1/4 of the slices and arrange on the top layer. Place the entire skillet in the oven and bake at 450° F for 15-20 minutes until brown and puffed.

Remove from the oven, cut into wedges and serve. Serve with maple syrup or powdered sugar, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.
Copyright © Food for My Family.

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How-To: Basic Cinnamon Rolls

Shaina — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 16:23:30 +0000

The essential cinnamon roll recipe that everyone needs to have tucked away in their bag of tricks. This one is Swedish in origin, a kanelbulle or “cinnamon bun,” and rest assured there is plenty of cardamom in the dough for a spicy kick.

I’m the oldest of five in my family. My siblings can attest to the fact that I display many of the typical Type-A qualities people expect from a firstborn child, not the least of those being perfectionism. I am a perfectionist to a fault. The kind of debilitating disease that has me alphabetize my spice cabinet and be constantly annoyed at the state of a house with four young children. (Some things you just have to learn to let go of. An always organized and picked-up house is one of them at this stage in the parenting game.)

It’s that same trait that led to the production of 80 cinnamon rolls last week as I tried recipes and tweaked and twisted and finally landed on the cinnamon buns I was looking for, the ones that need no glaze, but instead, sing on their own. I found them in a cardamom-spiced dough traditional to their origin. They are a bit lighter than their American counterparts, and they puff up easily, showing off the swirl of cinnamon tucked within.

The first order of business is scalding the milk. Simply heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge of the pan and the temperature reaches 180° F. Turn the burner off and add in butter, sugar, cardamom and salt. I like to toss in unmelted butter here as it melts and cools the milk simultaneously, meaning I don’t need to wait for the milk to cool for as long.

When the milk mixture is down to between 110° and 120° F, sprinkle the yeast over the top and wait 10 minutes for the yeast to froth.

Dump the milk mixture into your stand mixer or a large bowl and slowly add in four cups of flour. Change to the dough hook Allow the mixer to run on high for 30 seconds or so after you add the last cup so that it pulls the dough together and away from the sides of the bowl. If you’re hand mixing, you can just knead the dough lightly in the bowl. Cover it up and let it rise in a warm place for an hour.

Once the dough has risen, punch it down, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently into a ball.

Roll the dough into a rectangle. I like to go with the larger the rectangle, the more cinnamon swirl, and I’m all for several rolls of cinnamon in my cinnamon buns.

Brush melted butter onto the dough.

Then sprinkle sugar and cinnamon all over the top. Again, there is some leniency here as far as amounts are concerned. You could go heavier on both the cinnamon and the sugar, the cinnamon only, whatever suits your taste preferences.
Roll up your rectangle starting at one end and moving down towards the other and then reversing and coming back until you have a long cylinder of dough. It’s a pretty forgiving dough, so don’t be afraid to stretch and pull on it.

Cut rolls off the tube. I aim for about an 1-1/2″-2″ thick. Much thicker and cooking time and temperature will need to be adjusted.

Place the rolls in the vessel you intend to bake them in or on. These can be set on baking sheets, placed in baking dishes or however you prefer. Be sure to leave room because after the next 45-minute rest, the cinnamon rolls will puff up quite nicely. Before baking, brush them with a bit of egg wash and sprinkle with pearl sugar. You can skip the sugar sprinkle if you plan on glazing them at the end.

A short bake time in the oven, and piping hot cinnamon buns will be on your table. These are perfect for a brunch, an Easter breakfast, a lazy Saturday morning or any other day of the week.

Do-Ahead Tips:

Make the cinnamon rolls the night before and once they are on their baking sheet or in a baking dish, cover and store them in the refrigerator.
Wake up the next morning and turn the oven on. Remove the cinnamon rolls from the fridge and place on top of the stove above the oven or in another warm place. Keep covered and place a warm towel on top of the rolls. (You can warm a towel by spritzing with water and placing in the microwave for 20 seconds.)
Shower. Dress. Start your coffee. Then come back to your proofing rolls. Toss them in the oven and bake as directed.

Swedish Cinnamon Rolls

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1 1/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1-1/2 sticks or 12 tablespoons)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
For the filling:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
3-4 tablespoons cinnamon
On top:
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons pearl sugar

In a medium saucepan, heat milk over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges and the milk reaches 180° F. Turn the burner off and add in the 1-1/2 sticks of butter, half cup of sugar, cardamom and salt. Stir to combine and continue stirring until the butter is completely melted. The mixture should be between 110° F and 120° F at this point. If the temperature is higher, wait for it to drop slightly before proceeding.

Sprinkle yeast over the milk mixture and let it sit for 10 minutes. When the yeast is frothy, mix it in and move to a stand mixer or large bowl. Using a spoon or paddle attachment at first and then a dough hook, slowly mix in the flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring to completely incorporate after each addition until all four cups of flour are mixed in and the dough is smooth. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot for one full hour.

When the dough has risen, punch it down and knead lightly. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle. Spread half the melted butter for the filling on the dough using a pastry brush to brush to the edges. Sprinkle the top with remaining sugar and then cinnamon (you can use extra cinnamon if you desire). Roll the dough lengthwise into a long tube and then cut off 1-1/2″ sections/rolls.

Place each roll in a greased baking pan or on a lined baking sheet at least 3 inches apart. **If you desire, you can refrigerate the rolls at this point and take them out for their second rise 1-2 hours before baking.** Cover rolls and allow them to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour until they are puffed up. They will continue to rise in the oven, so be sure to allow room for that..

When the rolls have risen, preheat the oven to 425° F. Beat together the egg and water and brush over the tops of the rolls. Sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake for 8-12 minutes until the tops start to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and glaze, if desired, and then allow to cool slightly. Serve warm.

Makes 20 cinnamon rolls.
Copyright © Food for My Family.

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Dr. Seuss’s Birthday: Baked Green Eggs and Ham Crêpes

Shaina — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:45:46 +0000

Theodor Geisel, known to most people as Dr. Seuss, would have celebrated his 107th birthday today. We’re celebrating the rhyming riddler who brought us The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Green Eggs and Ham with our very own take on green eggs and ham: baked green eggs and ham crêpes.

When I realized that it was Dr. Seuss’ birthday this week, I was instantly excited. I grew up on Dr. Seuss, and when I had my first child, the first thing I did was swipe all the Dr. Seuss books from my parents’ house to bring to mine so I could read them all over again.

Growing up, The Cat in the Hat was always a favorite with its twisted tale of a hat-topped cat, but recently the kids and I have been enjoying Green Eggs and Ham before bed. With Kjell in kindergarten, this book has been just the right level for him to read on his own, and even Lene is getting into it. I caught her telling Sam I Am’s tale to Magnus on the couch the other day with great accuracy for a 4-year-old. Plus, as the kids and I talked about last night, Sam I Am is encouraging picky eaters everywhere to dig into new foods and give ‘em a try. You never know when you might enjoy something you thought you wouldn’t like. A valuable lesson for independent thinkers.

The kids and I put together a few green eggs and ham of our own. I’ve been obsessed with Pinterest lately, and I saw the perfect savory crêpes from Framed Cooks there the other day that combined them with my favorite baked eggs. Inspired, I took my kids’ own obsession with pesto to heart and made green eggs and ham pockets in honor of Dr. Seuss.

First, you’ll need some pesto. We have a freezer full of it from the garden, and my kids are always thrilled when we pull it out. Today was no exception.

On a parchment-lined baking sheet, lay out the crêpes and add a piece of prosciutto to the center. You could also use ham or any other thinly sliced meat of your choice.

Smear a bit of pesto over the bottom of the crêpes, creating a bit of a containment area for the egg that we’re going to crack right on top of it all. Then fold up the edges around the egg, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a touch of salt and throw them in the oven for a bit.

Soon you’ll have a perfectly cooked egg ready for consumption.

That’s how we celebrated Dr. Seuss’ birthday this week, along with a few other good games that I know. There are a few things I will show to you now; you will like these new things; I’m certain I can see just how:

Cat in the Hat Marshmallow Pops
One Fish Two Fish Snack Mix
Butter Battle Compound Butters
Will you be doing anything for Dr. Seuss’s birthday today? Ours will be filled with eating the rest of the crêpes and other Dr. Seuss treats, and no one is complaining about that.

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” — Dr. Seuss

Green Eggs and Ham: Baked Eggs with Prosciutto and Pesto

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4 crêpes
2 slices prosciutto
4 tablespoons basil pesto
4 eggs
Parmesan cheese
kosher salt
fresh parsley for garnish

Heat oven to 350° F. Line a walled baking sheet with parchment or a baking mat. Lay out the crêpes on the mat. In the center of each crêpe place half a slice of prosciutto and a tablespoon of pesto. Crack the egg on top of the pesto and prosciutto. Fold up the four sides of each crêpe around the egg. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt.

Bake at 350° F for 10-12 minutes until egg whites are set. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley. Serve.

Makes 4 baked eggs.
Copyright © Food for My Family.

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How to Make Crêpes Without a Crêperie

Shaina — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:38:42 +0000

A brief tutorial on how to make crêpes at home, no crêperie required. Just you, your stove and a bit of batter and you’ll have a plate full of thin pancakes in no time at all.

I’ve always wanted to live abroad, even if just for a short time. While the dream of leaving and exploring was there, the reality was and is that I remain fully rooted in the Midwest.

In college I was a single parent. In order to declare my Spanish major, I had to get the mandatory study abroad waived. Rather than live somewhere new and explore, I sat in my apartment and cooked, dreaming of leaving. I volunteered at an ESL school teaching English instead.

One of my younger sisters, Rachel, lived in France for a year. Last year my youngest brother spent the year in Australia and Thailand. I am still cooking. I traded in my single-parent stripes for a rambler, a few more kids and a husband, but not in that order.

When my sister returned from France, she brought with her a new and intense appreciation for the culture of their food. She sought out hard-to-find cheeses at the market and hoarded good French mustard like it was going out of style. She told tales of kabobs and crêpes from street vendors. I seethed with jealousy.

When I stopped the pity party, however, I did what I do. With no way to visit the crêperie myself, I needed to learn to make the treats I was missing out on while I was holed up at home.

For the full on crêpe experience, we’re going to start by combining Julia Child’s and Alton Brown’s views into a collective wisdom. You’ll need a blender or a bowl, whisk and your arm. Eggs, milk and water are added here.

To the eggs and milk, add in flour, melted butter and a bit of salt. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as necessary. (Hint: It’s necessary if the flour sticks to the sides.) This goes for a rest in the fridge to get rid of some of the bubbles and to help the crêpe-flipping process go a bit easier.

When it’s time to cook, heat a pan with rounded edges over medium-high heat. Add in a bit of butter to grease and then lift the pan off the burner. Pour in just enough crêpe batter to cover the bottom, 1-2 ounces depending on the size of your pan. Immediately swirl the pan to distribute the crêpe batter evenly.

Cook the crêpe for 30 seconds or so. Run a heatproof spatula around the edge of the crêpe to get it unstuck from the sides. Slowly slide the spatula down the center of the crêpe and then flip.

Slide the crêpes into a flat pile and let them cool a bit while you repeat the process and make more crêpes.

And that’s it. Pretty basic, no? Now, for the filling, which is my favorite part of the crêpe. You could go sweet with fruit and ricotta spread inside, or you can leave it nice and simple with a dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle of honey. The savory options are always good, too. A crêpe filled with chicken and mushrooms in a light sauce or topped with prosciutto and an egg are great meal options for any time of day.

TIP: Make a large batch and place a small piece of parchment between the crepes and freeze. Reheat easily in the oven on low heat or in the microwave for just a 20-30 seconds.

If you’re wondering, no, I still have not been to France, nor have I ventured to Australia. My sister, the youngest of us five, is only 15 and will probably head out before I do at the rate I’m going. However, I get back at them by making crêpes, putting pictures on the internet and then not inviting them over to share. Neener, neener.

Crêpes

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5 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup water
2 cups flour
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
extra butter for frying

In a blender combine eggs, milk, water, flour and melted butter. Blend until well incorporated, scraping the sides of the blender as necessary. Allow to sit in the fridge for at least an hour but no longer than 36 hours.

When you’re ready to make the crepes, head a medium to large frying pan with rounded sides over medium-high heat. Add in a small tab of butter and immediately once the butter is melted pour in 1-2 ounces of batter, swirling the pan above the burner to coat the bottom evenly. Return the pan to the burner and allow the crepe to cook for 30-45 seconds.

Using a heatproof spatula, lift the edges of the crêpe to unstick them from the sides of the pan. Carefully slide the spatula down the center of the crêpe, lift up and flip to the other side. Allow to cook another 10 seconds or so. Slide the crêpe to a flat surface. (Note: The first crepe usually does not come out of the pan perfectly. Set off to the side and continue on.) Repeat, adding small dabs of butter as necessary.

Makes 25-35 crêpes.
Copyright © Food for My Family.

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