Breakfast

Basic Crêpes

July 29, 2009

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In case you haven’t already heard, here in Vancouver we are experiencing a massssive heat wave. I mean Massive. I can barely sit and type this, because I’m melting away. With a Low! of 21 degrees, at night… you can just imagine. You can’t sleep it’s so hot, you can’t eat, and you can barely bake! But for you, I braved the heat! I just purchased a new crepe pan a week or so ago, and bought it without ever making a crepe. Like most people, the idea of making those perfect thin pancakes seems like a major feat. But to tell you the truth, it’s easier than it looks! And, they look more intricate and delicate than they are! So it doesn’t take much to impress someone with a homemade crepe because like I said, they are easier than it looks!

So if you follow these step by step instructions, I guarantee you can make these! You can fill them with any type of filling you like, you can make sweet or savory crepes as well.

Crepes can be made up to two days in advance, or made the night before, covered, and left in the refrigerator overnight. Just take out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking and allow to come to room temperature. To make savory crepes, omit the sugar and add a dash of salt.

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Once you’ve cooked your crepe, fill on one side

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Fill it up good

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And give it a roll! Top with some more syrup and a dollop of whipped cream

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Or, you can make them into a triangle! Place in one corner the filling. Then fold the bottom up. And fold over the other half forming a triangle, and drizzle with syrup and confectioners’ sugar!

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This is the new crepe pan I bought!

Basic Crepes

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1 Cup Milk
  • 1/2 Cup lukewarm water
  • 4 Large Eggs
  • 1/4 Cup Butter, Melted
  • 3 Tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth. Yes, it’s that easy!

Cover with plastic wrap and let stand 30 minutes, or refrigerate over night, up to 2 days.

How to cook a crepe:

Prepare a crepe pan with a 1/2 tsp.  of butter, or very lightly spray it with Pam.

Heat on medium until butter begins to brown.

Take off of burner, and using a ladle pour batter onto the pan, enough batter to cover the entire bottom with a very thin coating. Tilt the pan to evenly cover it and return to heat and cook until the crepe bubbles and bottom is lightly browned, about 1 – 1 1/2 minutes. Turn crepes over with a spatula or with your fingers. To do this, remove it from the heat and carefully lift one edge of the crepe and then gently hold the edge to lift if off the pan and gently flip it over. Return to heat and cook the other side until browned, but not evenly. Slide the crepe onto a plate lined with wax paper.

Repeat with the rest of the batter. You can store the crepes with plastic wrap in the fridge for 24 hours. or wrap in plastic and foil to freeze for up to 1 month.

Fill with fruit, whipped cream and syrups and you can either roll it the traditional way, like a cigar, or you can make it into a triangle point.

Ice Cream

Bite-Sized Ice Cream Sundaes

July 26, 2009

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I had an idea to make  home-made ice cream poppers, like a small scoop of ice cream covered in chocolate and frozen, sort of resembling a large version of those dippin’ dots or dibs ice cream. Then, I took it one step further. Why not make mini bite-sized banana and ice cream poppers – a tiny ice cream sunday bite!

These are super easy to make and de-licious! You can also make them plain without a banana, or add any other slice underneath like a strawberry, or even a cherry on top! You can cover em in sprinkles too if you like! or crushed nuts!

Two-Bite Ice Cream Sundaes – Recipe by Me!

You will need:

  • A chilled cookie tray
  • Tooth Picks
  • Parchment / Wax paper / Aluminum foil

Ingredients:

  • Ice cream – Any flavor you choose
  • Bananas – 1 or 2, depending on how many you wish to make
  • Good quality Chocolate – 4-5 baking squares, or about 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips ( again depending on how many you are making you will need more/less chocolate for dipping

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Cut banana(s) into slices

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Scoop ice cream

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Place ice cream balls and banana slices into freezer to chill

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cut up chocolate and melt over double broiler

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Mmm..Melted Chocolate

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place ice cream balls onto banana slices and place toothpick into center

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dip into chocolate and place back into freezer to chill completely

Directions:

Place baking sheet lined with parchment paper into freezer to chill. I didn’t actually have any so I used aluminum foil, but either one works.

Cut the banana(s) into slices. Make sure they aren’t too thin. Place the slices, in a single layer, on one side of the chilled baking sheet and place back into the freezer for about 20 minutes.

Take the chilled cookie sheet out of the freezer.

Next, using a melon baller or a small ice cream scoop, scoop the ice cream to form a small ball about 1 inch round. You may want to have a glass of warm water to dip the ice cream scoop into so it is easier to form the ball.

Immediately place the ice cream balls onto the other side chilled cookie sheet. Working quickly make the rest of the ice cream balls, as many or as little as you like.

Once you have made all the ice cream balls you want, place the cookie sheet into the freezer for 30 minutes until they are completely set and frozen.

Make sure you put the rest of the ice cream back into the freezer.

Take them out, and place the ice cream ball on top of a banana slice. Place a toothpick through it to keep them together. and place back into freezer for about another 15 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, in a double boiler melt the chocolate on low. If you don’t have a double boiler, use one larger pot and a smaller one placed on top so that the water is not touching the pan. Leave a small opening, you will want some of the steam to escape. Turn the burner on low so the water just starts to simmer. Melt the chocolate thoroughly, and remove from heat. Allow the chocolate to cool down until it is just warm. You can also pour some of the water into a bowl and rest another bowl on top of it with the chocolate in it to keep it warm until you are ready to dip so it doesn’t harden.

Take the frozen ice cream/banana ball out of the freezer and dip them into the chocolate until fully coated. Gently tap off the excess chocolate back into the bowl. Then stick them back onto the frozen cookie sheet. You may want to do a few at a time. You can also add chocolate sprinkles to it.

Repeat until all the ice cream and banana bites are coated and freeze for an additional 20 minutes.

When you are ready to serve, place on a chilled plate and eat immediately. Make sure you freeze any leftovers.

Enjoy!

Tarts

Tarte Au Citron

July 21, 2009

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I dunno about you, but whenever I bake something I have this same order I do things. First, get out all the ingredients. Second, read the directions, and get all the ingredients I forgot in previous step, & prepare the recipe. Then, while the recipe is chilling or baking I always go and write my blog post. I find this is the best time to do it, while you can smell the delicious thing you are baking in the oven! And when they take up to 30 or 40 minutes to bake you have some time on your hands. Today I had a long time between prep and chilling and baking time to write this post.

I had been craving a Lemon tart for some reason, and It’s probably because we’re in the middle of summer and a lemon tart just seems so refreshing and summery to me! I remember when my mom and I would go visit my grandma we would always take her out to lunch, usually chinese food, and afterwards we would get something sweet for dessert. Now my grandma was a diabetic so she really couldn’t, or shouldn’t, have been eating too many sweets. But whenever my mom (her favorite of 6 children as my mom always joked) visited her, she would spoil her and get her a little lemon tart from the IGA (grocery store.) She loved lemon tarts! When she was younger my grandma always made preserves and always canned things. She made the best canned fruits and my mom said she loved her bread pudding (something on my list of To-Do’s!) So in memory of my Grandma today I baked a Lemon tart. I’m sure she would have loved a slice! Continue Reading…