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Tender crepes with blueberry sauce. Photo / Annabel Langbein Media
A few years ago I was invited to present a live cooking event at the Louvre, in Paris. We had scored a huge, fancy-schmancy apartment up on the elegant Boulevard Haussman and, when we arrived,
On a whim, I decided to throw a lunch party for some of my friends and colleagues from around the globe who had flown in for this event. The idea seemed manageable enough, until we went out on the town on Saturday night after my cooking show and got home very late and very drunk. I remember waking up on the Sunday morning and seeing these giant snowflakes slowly falling outside the huge sash windows. I felt this serene sense of calm and beauty for all of five seconds, then I remembered my lunch. I looked at my watch and registered with that horrible gripping feeling of panic that it was just after 11am.
Twenty people were going to be arriving in less than two hours. I dressed and ran, literally, to the market. Six fat leeks, a handful of potatoes, two rotisserie chickens and a pottle of creme fraiche would make a tasty leek and potato soup. Two big sides of salmon could be flash-roasted with some herbs and lemon. Fresh salad greens and a bag of shelled walnuts would do for a salad, plus four baguettes and some yummy cheeses – because you can’t have a meal in France without either of those things.
By the time I got back to the house it was noon. I had just one hour to pull this lunch together. I don’t think I’ve ever worked so fast. I roughly pulled the flesh off the chicken and used the meaty carcasses to make a quick stock, ready to add my leeks and potatoes. This would get whizzed with my go-everywhere hand wand blender, and the shredded chicken flesh and creme fraiche stirred through at the very end. A rough chop of herbs mixed with lemon rind and olive oil, made a fresh lively slather for the salmon sides before they went into a super-hot oven to quickly roast. A wash and spin of the salad greens, a quick toast of the walnuts and a Dijon vinaigrette whisked up in a glass, and my salad was ready for a last-minute assembly.
I made it, with five minutes spare to set the table. And then I realised that I had totally forgotten about dessert. Ah, yes … the crepes the maid had left for us that I’d stashed in the fridge. The creme fraiche earmarked for the soup was redirected and I was in business – we could have crepes filled with lemony creme fraiche and a sprinkle of sugar. Crisis solved.
I often forget about crepes, but they are so useful to have in your repertoire. They work well with both sweet and savoury fillings, they keep in both the fridge and the freezer and are super-easy to make.
This is the crepe recipe I use for both sweet and savoury fillings (minus the vanilla for savoury). Adding melted butter to the batter at the end makes the batter very smooth and makes the crepes lighter and very tender.
Ready in 40 minutes
Makes 16, serves 8-16
Sauces makes 2½ cups.
SAUCE
4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla extract
CREPES
1½ cups plain flour
¼ tsp salt
2 cups milk
½ cup cold water
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 Tbsp melted butter
Extra butter for frying
GARNISH
Fruity yoghurt or whipped cream
Start by making the sauce. Place blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a pot and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer 5 minutes.
Mix cornflour with water then stir into the sauce with vanilla extract. Simmer another minute or two until lightly thickened.
Blueberry sauce will keep in the fridge for up to a week or can be frozen.
To make the crepes, combine all ingredients except butter in a mixing bowl. Beat with a whisk until smooth, then mix in melted butter. The batter should be quite thin. Stand for at least 10 minutes before cooking to allow gluten to rest.
Lightly butter a small heavy-based frying pan or crepe pan (you can use a paper towel to spread the butter evenly) and heat until it has a nutty aroma. Cook mixture a scant ¼ cup at a time, tilting pan to form a thin, even crepe. When base is lightly golden, flip to cook other side.
Stack crepes on a plate and serve hot with blueberry sauce and fruity yoghurt or whipped cream.
If not using at once, the crepes will keep for 4-5 days, covered, in the fridge or can be frozen (stacked with baking paper interleaved between crepes).
This divine party dessert is best served lightly chilled. You could also layer the crepes with lemon curd, hazelnut spread or caramelised condensed milk.
Ready in 45 minutes, plus chilling
Serves 8-10
16 tender crepes (see above)
FILLING
4 cups (2 tins) apple puree
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp Calvados or brandy, optional
TO SERVE
½ cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts
Sprinkle of icing sugar
CALVADOS CREAM
300ml chilled cream, lightly whipped
1 Tbsp icing sugar
1 Tbsp Calvados or Frangelico hazelnut liqueur, or Poire William liqueur
Cook crepes and stack on a plate (they can be made in advance and chilled). To make filling, place apple puree in a pot and cook gently until reduced by half. Remove from heat and mix in sugar and Calvados or brandy if using. Cool. (The filling will keep for several days in a covered container in the fridge.)
To assemble, place one crepe on a serving platter and use a knife to spread over about 2 Tbsp of apple filling. Top with another crepe. Repeat layers, finishing with a crepe spread with enough puree for the hazelnuts to stick.
Scatter over hazelnuts. Chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours if covered. Sprinkle with icing sugar to serve.
Whip cream to soft peaks with icing sugar and Calvados, Frangelico, etc.
Use a serrated or electric knife to cut crêepe torte and accompany with the Calvados cream. Serves 8-10.
Buckwheat comes into its own in crepes, offering a great gluten-free option. For a vegan GF version use oat milk and replace butter with coconut oil.
Ready in 30 mins + resting
Makes 8-10
2 eggs
2 Tbsp golden syrup, honey or molasses
1 cup milk
1 cup buckwheat flour
2 Tbsp melted butter, plus extra to fry
1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
LEMON MASCARPONE
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp plain sugar
1 cup mascarpone
Lemon wedges to serve
2-3 Tbsp icing sugar, to dust
Whisk eggs and syrup, honey or molasses to combine, then add milk, buckwheat flour, melted butter, baking powder and salt and whisk until batter has the texture of melted chocolate. Add more milk if needed. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours.
When ready to cook, give mixture another whisk and, if needed, thin to melted-chocolate consistency with more milk. Heat a heavy frying pan over a medium-high heat with a small smear of butter. Ladle in a scant ¼ cup of batter and tilt pan to form a thin crepe with lacy edges. Allow bubbles to form and set on top before flipping over to cook the other side.
Stack cooked crepes on a plate until ready to serve.
In a bowl, mix lemon zest, juice, vanilla and sugar with mascarpone. Spread a little mascarpone mixture on to each crepe and then fold.
Serve folded crepes with icing sugar to sprinkle, and lemon wedges.
by Yvonne Lorkin
(Tender crepes with blueberry sauce)
Pirramimma McLaren Vale Sparkling Shiraz NV ($18-$24)
If you’ve never experienced the eye-rollingly excellent joy of sipping great sparkling shiraz, then here’s your chance. Rich, velvety, stacked with sultana cake spices and saturated with blackcurrant and pepper-dusted deliciousness, this frisky, fabulous fizz works perfectly with anything blueberry-related. That the crepes have a soft, biscuity mouthfeel makes the subtle smoke notes in this sparkling wine even more matchy-matchy. Plus the Pirramimma is brilliant with chocolate or fruitcake (in case you feel the need to test its versatility).
thegoodwine.co.nz
(Layered crepe torte with apples, hazelnuts & Calvados cream)
Zoa New Zealand Feijoa Vodka 700ml ($54.95)
Inglewood is famous for lots of things. The Fun Ho! Toy Museum, the Dudley District Overnight Motorhome Camp, the Everitt Park Glow-Worms, Charmaine’s Zumba Classes, the Rainbow Gardens and Donkey Park, and Zoa Liquor. I know what you’re thinking. “How would feijoa-infused vodka work with hazelnuts, apples and Calvados?” Truth be told, I have no idea, except that there’s something about the distinctively sweet, herbaceous, citrus notes in the vodka that makes it pair perfectly with the bright apple accents, the moreish hazelnuts and the creamy textures in this tantalising torte. Don’t be fooled by the simple packaging either, just serve a splash up neat over ice, with a slice, and there’ll be smiles all round.
zoa.co.nz
(Buckwheat crepes with lemon mascarpone)
Whitehaven Marlborough Noble Riesling 375ml ($35)
The second you sip this incredible wine you’ll understand how it came to amass gold medals and 5-star ratings galore. Fresh from also scooping the Sweet Wine Trophy at the NZ International Wine Show (the largest show in the country), this rich, citrus-saturated dessert wine heaves with toffee, honey and lemon sorbet sensations. Bright, refreshing acidity counters its candied mango, lime curd and layers of luxurious complexity on the finish. It’s stunningly beautiful with these buckwheat crepes.
whitehaven.co.nz
by Yvonne Lorkin
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New York Times: Increased shedding after illness is not unusual.