Crepes and Pavlovas and Lemon Curd. Oh, my!

This is basically a compilation of what I've been doing lately. At least the PG 13 or food related things.

Strawberry Nutella Crepes

I made homemade Lemon Curd and it was easy and over the top delicious!!! So much tastier than store bought and it only takes a few minutes and a few simple ingredients. Hint: make a double batch while you're at it and share with someone you love.

Lemon Curd

LEMON CURD

What You'll Need:

1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest

1/3 cup fresh Lemon Juice

2/3 cup Sugar

4 Egg Yolks (save the whites *the egg whites*, more on that later! Let's make pavlovas!)

6 Tablespoons of Salted Butter, room temp and cut into pieces

Equipment:

You will need a double boiler with a glass top portion. If you don't have one of those, you can easily make one. I bought a heat proof glass mixing bowl for less than $6 at Walmart here Glass Mixing Bowl and it fit on top of my small Le Creuset Saucepan perfectly. Even if you have a double boiler with a metal top portion, don't use it. In fact, don't even use a metal whisk. Using metal with the lemon can give your curd a metallic taste, so use a glass bowl and a silicon whisk.

What You'll Do:

Get a couple of inches of water boiling in the bottom of your double boiler and reduce to simmer. Put all ingredients except the butter in the glass top portion of your double boiler and continually whisk for about 10 minutes, until the mixture starts to thicken a little. 

Remove from heat and whisk in the butter. Pour into a heatproof bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on top of the curd so it won't form a skin. Ewww! Pop in the frig and it will stay good for about a week, but probably won't last that long. It will thicken up significantly as it cools. It also freezes well. 

 

Mini Bundtlets filled with Lemon Curd and Berries

Uses for Lemon Curd ~

*As a topping for Angel Food Cake or cheesecake (with berries!)

*In between layers of a layer cake

*Filling for crepes

*A filling for Pavlovas (see recipe below)

*Mix with fresh whipped cream and layer with berries for a parfait

*Filling for a Lemon Tart

*No Churn Ice Cream  (see recipe below)

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Crepes

Crepes are so easy to make! Who knew?! Yes, I have a Le Creuset Non Stick Crepe Pan because I'm fancy like that. But, you don't have to have one to make crepes. Before I had the crepe pan, I simply used my Le Creuset Non Stick Braiser, which is absolutely one of the most underappreciated Le Creuset products out there. This is my go-to every day workhorse for scrambling eggs, omelets, browning ground beef, sauteing,  you name it. In fact, go to your LC Outlet store because I like the style that they make for the outet stores better. Of course, you can use any non stick skillet or pan. Give it a try.

Strawberry Nutella or Blueberry with Lemon Curd?

 

 

I made crepes for an in store demo. They're so easy and were definitely a hit!

What You'll Need:

1 cup All Purpose Flour

3 large Eggs (at room temperature)

2 cups Whole Milk (at room temperature)

pinch of salt

3 Tablespoons Butter (melted) and extra for brushing the pan

 

You'll want to make the crepe batter ahead of time, because it has to rest in the frig for at least an hour. I like to make mine the night before and it's ready to go the next day. 

What You'll Do:

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs for a minute until the yolks are mixed in with the whites. Add the milk and the salt and whisked until well incorporated. Sift the flour into the mixture in a few small batches and keep whisking. Don't worry if there are tiny lumps of flour, as they will dissolve while it rests in the frig. Now, drizzle in the melted butter and whisk as you drizzle until it's all mixed well, cover and pop in the frig. The batter will be very runny, like the consistency of heavy cream.

Heat your crepe pan or nonstick braiser/skillet over medium/high heat. Remove the batter from the frig and give it a good stir. 

I use a ladle to pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the pan and then pick up the pan and spread the batter out evenly by tilting the pan into different directions. Remember that crepes are very thin.

It may take a few practice tries to get this right, but once you figure it out, it's really easy. If you think you'll need some practice, make a double batch of batter. Any leftover crepes can be frozen and used later.

Using a silicon pastry brush like this Le Creuset Pastry Brush, brush the pan with a light coat of butter before each crepe. It just adds flavor and a golden color.

Cook on the first side for 2-3 minutes, checking to see if the edges are browning. When it looks done, use a spatula to flip it over. If you can't flip it, it's not done on that side yet. It's easier than it sounds! Cook on the second side for about 1 minute and it's done. I stack the crepes on a plate as they are cooked and fill them later.

That's it! You made crepes! You're practically French.

If you're using the crepes the same day, you can keep them out at room temp. They can also be stored in the frig or freezer for later use.

Fold or Rolled?

 Do you like your crepes folded or rolled? It's like 'shaken or stirred'. I like both. Folded is better if you are going to eat it with your hands, think Paris street food. Rolled can look prettier plated. Do what you like. If you roll, spread the filling out and roll it up from one side to the other. If you fold, place filling on half (or the entire thing, your choice) and fold in half and then in half again. Remember to put the 'prettier' side of the crepe on the outside.

Dessert Crepes:

Strawberry Nutella - a schmear of Nutella and fresh strawberries. Maybe some whipped cream.

 

Cinnamon Apple Bourbon - in a small pan, cook two chopped apples (I like Honeycrisp) with a healthy dose of cinnamon and brown sugar, some butter, a Tablespoon of lemon juice and a splash of bourbon or brandy. Cook until apples are tender. In a small bowl, mix together a teaspoon of cornstarch with a Tablespoon of water and add to the apples. Simmer until mixture thickens a little. Serve with a drizzle of caramel on top. Hello, autumn!

 

 

Lemon Blueberry - Use some of that delicious homemade Lemon Curd that we obsessed about earlier for the filling. Add fresh blueberries or sub strawberries or blackberries. Go nuts with the whipped cream.

 

Savory Crepes: 

Breakfast Crepes - On the same pan that you used for the crepes, scramble some eggs and brown some frozen hash brown patties (chop them up some while cooking). Fill the crepes with eggs and potatoes, add shredded cheddar and top with salsa (or fresh pico de gallo) and thin slices of avocado.

Caprese Crepes - Fill with slices of fresh mozzerella and tomato and lots of fresh basil. Top with drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Croque Monsieur Crepes - Ooh la la! These are super impressive and not as difficult as they sound. 

Croque Monsieur Crepes with homemade Bechamel sauce

 

Lazy Girl Hack : You can make these with flour tortillas. Sort of a French/Mexican fusion. Don't judge until you've tried it. I cooked Croque Monsieur Quesadillas at the Le Creuset Factory to Table Event in Dallas this year and they were a huge hit.  

 

Croque Monsieur Crepes 

What You'll Need:

For the Bechamel Sauce:

1/2 stick of salted Butter

1/4 cup All Purpose Flour

1 1/2 cup Whole Milk (room temp or slightly warmed)

Salt and Pepper

Dijon Mustard and Nutmeg

For the Filling:

Good quality cooked ham

Shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese 

Fresh Thyme (which is really easy to grow, just FYI)

What You'll Do:

Start by making the Bechamel Sauce. Bechamel is one of the "French Mother Sauces"  and is the easiest to make, in my opinion. It's a white sauce that will remind you of the gravy served on biscuits in the South. The South of the USA, not France. haha. 

Bechamel is a good base for macaroni and cheese and chicken pot pie, is a component in moussaka, and acts as the base of a souffle.

In a saucepan or small pot, on low/medium heat, melt the butter and then add the flour, whisking with a flat whisk or use a wooden spoon and cook for 3 - 4 minutes until it forms a paste and starts to bubble, but don't let it brown.

Add the milk gradually, whisking/mixing as you go and bring to a boil, then immediately turn the heat down to simmer and cook for another 3 minutes while stirring. 

Don't be intimidated because it's French. Bechamel is just a few ingredients and a few minutes away!

 

Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add a sprinkle of nutmeg and a little dab (about 1/4 teaspoon) of Dijon, if desired. 

Spread a thin layer of bechamel on one side of the crepe and place the bechamel side down on the hot crepe pan for just a minute until the sauce is browned a bit. 

While it's browning, place some ham, shredded cheese, a spoonful of bechamel and a small sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves on half of the top side of the crepe. When it's brown, fold in half and press down lightly into the pan, making sure both sides are browned slightly. 

Remove from heat and fold over again, so the crepe is folded into quarters. Garnish with more sauce, if desired, and/or thyme.

Lemon Curd No Churn Ice Cream

Really! You just mix up the ingredients and freeze it.

What You'll Need:

1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 1/2 cups of Heavy Cream 

Prepared Lemon Curd

Shortbread Cookies (I used Pepperidge Farm 'Dublin' cookies)

What You'll Do:

In a large bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, cream and vanilla. Mix with a handheld mixer or in a stand mixer (with whisk attachment) on high until the mixture is fluffy and thickened a bit. It probably won't whip up stiff like whipped cream and that's okay.

Pour 1/4 of the cream mixture into a loaf pan and then add several spoonful dollops of lemon curd and swirl the curd into the cream mixture with a knife or a chopstick. Repeat with the rest of the 3/4 of the cream mixture, adding curd each time. You can't really overdo the curd, in my opinion.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for about an hour and then add the crushed up cookies (as many as you want) to the top and return to the freezer. 

Serve garnished with lemon slices and mint leaves.

 

 

Lemon Blueberry and Strawberry Chocolate Pavlovas 

 

Pavlovas look super impressive but are actually quite easy. I usually make two at a time because I like one with blueberries and lemon curd and the other with chocolate, strawberries and whipped cream. 

What You'll Need:

For the meringue-

6 large Egg Whites (you have 4 already from the Lemon Curd)

Pinch of Salt

1/8 teaspoon Cream of Tartar (find at store in spice aisle)

1 1/2 cups Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

*For a chocolate swirl: 3 - 4 ounces of Dark Chocolate (I used 74% Cocoa)

For the filling- 

Lemon Curd and fresh blueberries 

or

Strawberries and Whipped Cream

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees or if your oven doesn't go down that low, as low as you can go. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper (depending if you are making one or two pavlovas)

In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar at high speed for just a couple of minutes until it starts to get foamy.

Add sugar a little at a time on medium speed and add vanilla and then go back to high speed until you can lift the beaters up and the mixture forms peaks that stay up. (Called 'stiff peak') This will take 8-10 minutes. Hang in there.

If you're doing two pavlovas, one with chocolate swirls and one without, take out half of the meringue and place in the middle of the parchment paper in an oblong 'nest' formation. This will be your non chocolate meringue nest.

If you're adding chocolate swirls: melt the chocolate. You can easily do this in the microwave, just go slowly at 30 second intervals and stir after each interval. Add a few small dollops to the meringue and swirl in.  

Place the chocolate swirled meringue in the middle of the parchment paper in an oblong 'nest' formation and then drizzle a little more of the chocolate around on it. Save some for the top later.

Bake the meringues for 1 hour 45 minutes at 225 or less time if your oven doesn't go down that low. The exterior should be crispy. Turn off the oven and leave the meringue in the oven for at least an hour or leave it overnight. Yes, really.

Just before serving, fill with lemon curd and blueberries or with whipped cream and sliced strawberries. Remelt and drizzle the remaining chocolate over the strawberries. Garnish with mint leaves, edible flowers or basil leaves.