Duck Egg l'orange Crêpe

I debated on whether to share my video, because I realize it is not high quality- while making this dish in my tiny kitchen, having camera 'turning off issues', three lights (over me, behind me, next to me) were barely enough to see what I was doing on your end, as well as I was zoomed in close. I can say making a video while talking and cooking is difficult.

Making crepes is similar to making the dosai in the Indian home I have worked as a personal chef. Next time I will show you those, if I can get someone to help with the camera. If you want to watch it, go to CookAppeal on youtube, and type in Duck Egg Crepe to watch it. I find using my light box over and over boring, but it will help you see why I cannot just take regular photos with such poor lighting.

Mise en place-

1/2 pound of white asparagus, sauteed in oil/butter, softened, s/p
3 tablespoons of truffle oil
2 tablespoons of butter
- saute chopped white asparagus in truffle oil and butter until soft
(my feelings were this might have been better if chopped with cheese for a softer crepe center).

1 duck egg (Whole Foods)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup room temp water (possibly a few more tablespoons)
2/3 cup unbleached organic flour
1 teaspoon clementine, or tangelo zest (l'orange)
1 large mixing bowl
-Make a well in the flour, mix in duck egg (only one is needed as they are big to using two regular eggs); then begin to blend the mixture well; until you get a thin batter.

-Heat either a non stick or large saute pan to medium heat; pour about 2 tablespoons of oil into pan, and then take a paper towel and wipe most of it away, then place paper towel on small plate and save. Each time you make a crepe you will reuse this to wipe oil back onto pan.

-Pour about 1/2 cup  of batter onto pan and begin swirling until thin. Cook and repeat until batter is used.

-Fill each crepe with sauteed asparagus and cheese, and garnish with cheese on top.

1/2 cup sliced/grated cheese (morel & leek jack cheese= whole foods)
1/2 cup grated/soft cheese of your choice (garnish and filler)

• You want the batter to be thinner than pancakes, so add a few more tablespoons water if it seems too thick (it will not spread around in pan if you have too much oil floating in pan)
• Pour at least 3 tablespoons oil in medium hot pan, wipe with paper towel (above heat), but save towel in bowl, because each time you remove crepe you will wipe pan with more oil, and re-pour batter into pan and begin swirling, and cook.
• When crepe is ready to flip it will slide in pan, flip and cook the other side- slide onto wire rack or on dish towel to cool until you are finished making crepes.
• Fill each crepe with what ever filling you desire and keep warm in oven until ready to eat

I paired a red wine I purchased in Quebec (vineyards on the border of US & Quebec side) last October, but we felt it did not go well with the entree tonight, so saving the rest of the bottle, I will try it again with the duck eggs in another dish. A Vouvray would be nice with this dish, as asparagus is hard to pair, but with the citrus in the crepe, a Chenin Blanc also would work here..

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Crepes

Yes I did! If you want to call it by it's real name... Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel Cheesecake Crepes with White Chocolate and Pomegranate Creme drizzle...



















Someone along with every NJ and NYC resident loves cheese cake and since I found my cheese cake recipe from waaaaaay back in my early twenties and decided some people in my life needed some 'sweet' love from this chef!














'Here is a no bake cheesecake batter; add peanut butter and pipe into crepes'

3 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 can evaporated sweetened condensed milk
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 (8 oz.) Whip Cream or Cool Whip

Beat at medium speed until smooth the first 3 ingredients. Fold in Cool Whip. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight until set. Gently fold in 3 tablespoons room temp creamy peanut butter, and place in plastic bag and snip hole on tip to pipe into crepes.




















'Intern finds out how to make whip cream old school...'















'Lets learn some plating set-up techniques'















'As Snoop would say...this is gonna fizzle on the drizzle people'...

Slowly heat white chocolate (high butter content) with a few drizzles of cream until liquid enough to drizzle over crepes. Smash chocolate covered pretzels for garnish along with dried pomegranate seeds. For POM whip cream just add a few lid fulls to whipped cream and plate.















'Dark chocolate covered pretzels lurking in the shadows...'














Crepes can be a difficult task to master...batter and making them so thin...but they are similar to making pancakes and the dosai I make...once you do a few in the pan it all starts to together and getting the feel for the thickness you want...wipe pan with damp paper towel after each crepe, and keep heat low...

This is also entered in the 'Peanut Butter Boy Exhibition', and you can find out more details by clicking on Peanut Butter is the new candy!

I submitted this post on behalf of one of my new friends...she shares a birthday with another blonde we all grew up with, but she is one of the original lovable and beautiful inside and out Barbie Doll's in my life, so let's all wish her a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY... Debra @ Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History...



















Next...Stock 101- and 'That sauce does not look brown' moments with Ang the intern...