Simple and Delicious Crepes

Crepes are very popular in France. It is a thin layer of pancake, mainly made from flour, eggs, water and salt. It is served as lunch or dinner with ham, bacon, cheese, eggs.... or with sweet fillings as breakfast or desert. 

History has shown that crepes originated in Brittany, a region in the northwest of France. The story of how it was first created is very interesting. It is said that it was created from a mistake made by a 14 year-old assistant waiter in 1895 at the Maitre at Monte Carlo's cafe in Paris. He was preparing the dessert for the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, who was with some quests including a beautiful French girl... click here for the rest of the story.

 

Today crepes are not only famous in France but all over the world. On my recent trip home, I saw many stores and restaurants serving them. I also have seen them in Japan and Hong Kong. The picture above is taken in one of the stores. Look at the varieties of crepes they sell, doesn't it look delicious?

This recipe makes 12 eight-inch pieces.

2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
Rose hip, cherry and strawberry jams (or any jams that you like)

More oil for brushing the frying pan

In a  food processor combine all ingredients: all purpose flour, water, milk, oil and salt. Blend until the batter is smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer into a bowl and let rest in the refrigerator for an hour. This is to give time for all the ingredients to blend together.

Heat an 8 inch non stick frying pan on medium high, brush some oil on it, then pour 1/3 cup of the batter into the pan. Swirl the pan so that the batter coats evenly on the pan.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until it turns light brown.

 

Flip and cook the other side for another minute or so, repeat with the rest. 

 

Spread your flavored jam on the crepes. 

Fold into wedges and serve. The cooked crepes can be kept in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Chinese Bitter Melon Scrambled Eggs (苦瓜炒鸡蛋)

This melon is popular in most Asian countries. The scientific name for this melon is Momordica Charantia, but it is commonly known as bitter melon, bitter gourd or bitter squash. This fruit also has many benefits and nutrients.  It helps diabetics lower their glucose levels, stimulates digestion, reduces fever and helps skin problems. It also reduces blood pressure, enhances immunities, expels worms and has many more beneficial qualities.

When I was young, I didn't like this melon because it tastes bitter. My mum always told us that the nutrients from this melon are good for our body. I have come to appreciate it as I grow older and now I love it.  Thank you MUM!!

In Charlotte, this melon is not available year round. Summer is the time that I see many, either in the local farmers' market or Asian stores.

In Malaysia, it is known as bitter gourd, my mother likes to stir fry it with chicken, pork or scrambled eggs, she also likes to have it cut into thick rings and fills the center with either flavored fish paste or flavored ground pork. Then she pan fries it and cooks through with some water. At most of the Indian restaurants in Malaysia they have it cut into thin slices, coated with some turmeric flour mixture and deep fried. These dishes are all yummy. 

This recipe serves 2 person.
 
1/2 bitter melon, cut into thin slices

2 eggs
1 tbsp fresh milk, optional  
(Adding some milk in the eggs helps keep the scrambled eggs moist).
Salt to taste 
Oil for pan frying

A dash of cayenne pepper or black pepper, optional

In small a bowl beat together the eggs, salt, milk and set aside.


Heat some oil in a frying pan on high, add bitter melon and stir occasionally until it starts to turn soft.

Spread the bitter melon evenly on the frying pan and pour in the eggs mixture, cook until you see the bottom start to turn light brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.

 
Sprinkle some cayenne pepper or black pepper on it, turn the eggs and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. The eggs will be in broken pieces when you turn them. Serve warm.



You can also start stirring it once you have poured in the eggs without waiting for it to turn brown. I like the taste when its a bit brown.

Braunschweiger Buns with Spinach and Mushroom

This is my other braunschweiger buns recipe. I usually add mushroom, spinach and cheese. This time it is without cheese as I had run out. Well, it is still yummy! Come join me.

For the bread recipe click here.

Filling:

200gm or more braunschweiger, cut into small cubes
9oz frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed out the water.
1 medium onion, chopped 
1/2 cup fresh button mushroom, chopped 
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

Add this only if the filling is too soggy:
2 to 3 tbsp potato flakes


Prepare the bread dough. click here for dough instructions.

While waiting for the bread dough to be ready, heat a frying pan on medium high. Pour in oil, onion and mushrooms, stir until it just turns soft. Add braunschweiger and saute for about 5 minutes. Then add spinach and cook until it heats through. At this point add potato flakes if you find it is soggy, if not skip this step. Add salt to taste, remove from pan and let cool on a flat plate. 

 

Once cool, divide into 12 portions and make into balls. Cover with plastic wrap and put into the fridge until it is ready to use.




 
When the bread dough is ready, divide into 12 portions and roll into balls.

Use a rolling pin and roll out the dough into round shape. Place the braunschweiger filling at the middle and wrap.

 
I placed 8 pieces of the unbaked buns into a 11" x 5" bread pan (see picture on the right) and the remaining 4 pieces in a 8" square cake pan about 1 inch apart. Make sure all the buns are placed seam side down. Let rest for another hour or until the buns double in size.

Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes or until the food thermometer reaches 160 °F. Serve warm.

Note: 

The buns that come out from the bread pan are too tall to heat up in the bread toaster, but the ones from the cake pan are OK after I cut off the top a little. Please make sure the filling is not exposed or you might spoil your toaster. I heat the tall buns in an oven. 

If the fillings are too soggy add 2 to 3 tbsp of potato flakes, this will help absorb the extra moisture, remember to add a bit of salt after that.

Braunschweiger Buns

Braunschweiger is a type of liverwurst or liver sausage.  We normally had ours sliced and added into sandwiches together with some mustard and cheese or some sliced tomatoes, pickles and onion. Or we would spread it on bread or crackers. Today it became the buns' filling. Heating up is easy, just put into the bread toaster ...viola! it is ready to eat in minutes. The best part is the bread stays crunchy even after heating it the next day.

Bread recipe:

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup warm milk (about 110°F to 120°F), add more in cold weather and reduce when weather gets warm.

1/3 cup potato flakes

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp yeast

1 full tsp salt
 
Filling:

200gm braunschweiger

Set the bread machine on dough function. In the bread machine pan, pour in the warm milk and olive oil, followed by all purpose flour, potato flakes and sugar. Make a well at the center of the dried ingredients and add the yeast into it. Place the salt at one corner of the pan and press start.

While waiting for the bread to be ready, cut the braunschweiger into 12 pieces, (I had it cut into wedges), wrap with plastic wrap and return it to the fridge until it is ready to use.

Once the kneading and proofing of the bread dough are done (about an hour), divide into 12 pieces and roll into balls.

Use a rolling pin and roll out the dough into round shape, place the braunschweiger at the middle and wrap into triangle shape.

 
Place the pieces at least 1 inch apart from each other onto a baking sheet with seam side down. Let rest for another hour or until the pieces double in size.

 




Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes or until the food thermometer reaches 160 °F. Serve warm.

Note: You can warm up the buns in a bread toaster. If the buns are too thick, cut off the top a little, please make sure the filling is not exposed. Or you can also heat them up in the oven.

Asparagus with Herb Eggs

Asparagus is on sale this week, there are so many ways to cook it. Make into soup, stir fry with sambal belacan (shrimp paste)  wowowo.., wrap them with bacon yum yum yum... I cooked them with eggs and herbs and this is our side dish for dinner tonight.

9 or more fresh asparagus, wash and snap or trim off the end stems

1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp McCormick Lemon Herb seasoning
a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
salt to taste

2 eggs

Oil for pan frying

In a small bowl, mix together all the seasonings: paprika, lemon herb, cayenne pepper and set aside or you can sprinkle direct from the bottle, which I did.

Heat a frying pan on high heat, add oil, then asparagus, turning from time to time for about 2 to 3 minutes.  Line up the asparagus and gently pour the eggs (one at a time) on top of it. Sprinkle the seasonings and salt onto the eggs and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to medium and let cook for about 5 minutes or longer, depending on how cooked you want the eggs to be. We like ours half cooked. Serve warm.

Cheesy Lemonpop Coffee Cake

There are so many recipes I wanted to try, just didn't get around to it and this is one of them. I baked this right after we finished the Peachy Cream Cake since there was still some cream cheese left. I added 2 tbsp of lemon drink mix this time to boost up the lemony flavor and it works!! Oh, you can also use lemon essence instead. The taste is so so good. Hope you like it too.

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cups sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest 
2 tbsp lemon drink mix (I used Country Time Mix), optional

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 

1/4 cup (2oz) cream cheese

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tbsp lemon juice 

1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 400°F, line the bottom of a 9" cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl mix together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and set aside.

In another mixing bowl, rub together sugar, lemon zest and lemon drink mix. Add butter, cream cheese and beat with a hand mixer until light and creamy, followed by the egg, vanilla, sour cream, lemon juice and poppy seeds. Mix until well combined. 

For the next part of the mixing I use a spatula. Gently add flour mixture into the batter in three batches, until just combined. Do not over mix or your cake will become tough. Spread batter evenly in the cake pan.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or cool.

Taro Balls with Sweet Red Bean Filling

Taro has many names. In Malaysia it is known as yam, while in Charlotte I saw some stores give the name yam to orange sweet potatoes.  I am confused... Hahahah... Taro is used in many Asian dishes. You can deep fry, stir fry or mix into some flour to bake or, like my recipe here, have it boiled. I have a friend who is a hotpot(steamboat) freak, in one week on at least 3 days she has it for dinner. She told me having some taro in the stock will make the soup more flavorful. I also noticed at the restaurant, they always serve a few pieces of taro together with the vegetable. We bought one whole piece of taro one day. Too much for one dish. I had half of it cut into thick pieces and put in the freezer. I noticed it got spoiled quite fast. Some of it became our dessert today.



120 gm taro(Yam), cut into small cubes

2 tsp sugar, plus more for adding into the boiling water

3 tbsp glutinous rice flour
3 tbsp water
2 drops purple food color, optional

80 gm red bean paste (store bought)

1/2" ginger, cut into slices

3 cups water




For red bean paste:

Divide the red bean paste into 16 pieces, roll them into small balls and refrigerate until ready to use. Refrigeration will help harden the dough a little and make it easy to handle when wrapping. 


For the yam paste:

Steam the taro for 1/2 hour or until cooked through. While still hot, mash with a fork like mashing potatoes, add the rest of the ingredients: 2 tsp sugar, glutinous rice flour, 3 tbsp water (reduce to 2 tbsp if you find the dough is too sticky), food color and mix until well combined. Roll into a long log, divide into 16 pieces and roll into small balls.

 

Press a piece of the dough in your palm, then place one piece of the filling onto it and wrap. Then roll into a ball. Repeat with the rest. 

 



Bring the ginger and water to a boil. Gently pour the taro balls into the boiling water. The balls will sink to the bottom of the pot (see picture on the left).






The taro balls will be cooked when they float to the top (see picture on the right). Add sugar to taste and serve warm.

Baked Flaky Curry Puff

I prefer savory over sweet when it comes to finger food. After trying many different pastry recipes, with trial and error, I settled on this one. It's light and fluffy. Plus with the food processor, it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.  

If you look carefully, the pastry in the above curry puff is fluffier than the one below, as I have rested the dough for 2 days in the fridge and the one below just rested overnight.  The taste and texture of the pastries are the same.

For the filling in the above picture, I had the potatoes cut into cubes, with some black mustard seeds and green peas. For the recipe below I had the potatoes shredded, no mustard seeds or green peas, as I ran out of them. The rest of the ingredients are the same. This recipe is vegetarian, you can add chicken of beef if you would like. Do feel free to ask if you have any questions.

 
For the pastry:  
(This recipe is enough for a 9" pie plate or 16 pieces of curry puff)
 
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and cubed
3 to 5 tbsp ice water






In a food processor (or you can use your fingers), add all purpose flour, salt and pulse a couple of times. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse sand. Add ice water, a tablespoon at a time and process until mixture forms into a ball. (PLEASE!! start checking the dough after adding the 2rd or 3rd tbsp of water, if the dough sticks together when pressing, that means you have enough water) 

 
Dust the counter top with some flour, place the dough on it and roll into a log (see picture on the right). Do work fast before the butter starts to melt or it will be very difficult to roll. Molding the dough into a log will make dividing easy later.

Wrap in a ziploc bag and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.  This dough can last up to a week in the fridge.

Note: I notice the pastry are fluffier after two days rest in the fridge. Use just a little flour for dusting, more will make the dough hard.

For the filling: 
(This recipe can make up to 32 pieces of curry puff.)

500gm potatoes, cut into small cubes or shredded
1 big onion, chopped
2 tbsp curry powder  (I used Baba's meat curry powder)
Curry leaves from a stamp, chopped
1 cube of chicken flavor bouillon (optional)
1 1/2 tsp garam masala (or 1 tsp fennel seeds and 2 tsp coriander seeds)
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

1/3 cup frozen peas, optional
1 tsp mustard seeds, optional

Note: I find the shredded potatoes cooked faster compared to the cubed ones.

Rinse the shredded potatoes with cold water a couple of times to remove the potato starch (this will enable the potatoes to cook faster). Place in a strainer and set aside.

In a frying pan, heat oil on medium high heat and cook the onion until translucent. Add curry powder, garam masala (or fennel and coriander seeds) and mustard seeds if you are using them. Stir until you smell the aroma of the spices, be careful not to burn the spices. Pour in the potatoes, stir to combine with the onion and spices, add salt, chicken flavor bouillon and continue to stir from time to time until the potatoes are fully cooked (if you are using green peas, add when the potatoes are almost cooked).

Remove from the frying pan and let cool. This can be cooked in advance. Just store them in an air tight container or ziploc bag and refrigerate it.


Wrapping: 

Dust the counter top or chopping board with some flour, remove the dough from the ziploc bag and cut into 18 pieces. Use a roller and roll the dough into a round shape or almost round hehehe... (see picture on the right)  I am not perfect, but it works anyway.






Place 1/2 tbsp of the filling onto the pastry, fold into half moon shape. (see picture on the left)

Press the edges together (see picture on the right).

Now use your fingers to seal the edges by pinching a little of the dough at the edge, gently fold upwards and press to seal. Repeat until finished. (See the two pictures above) You can also use a fork or anyway you want to seal the edges together.

Heat oven to 350F. Keep the curry puff in freezer/fridge while waiting for the oven to heat up. Skip this step if your oven is ready. Bake for 30 minutes or until the color turns golden brown. Serve warm. 

Note: Return the dough to the fridge for at least 1/2 hour if it starts to get sticky when you roll them. 

Uncooked curry puff can be kept in the freezer for up to a month. When ready to bake, just put into the heated oven directly from the freezer.