First Recipeee! : French Crepes with Crème Pâtissière and Strawberry Salad

I'm so into cooking these days.


Jadi ceritanya semenjak resmi mengundurkan diri dari kampus, I gotta think about what I'm gonna do to kill some time. Terus I ended up watching a bunch of TV shows yang salah duanya adalah Hell's Kitchen dan Junior Masterchef Australia. Dua-duanya adalah semacam ajang pencarian bakat versi kuliner. Bedanya, Hell’s Kitchen tuh lebih banyak dramanya sementara Junior Masterchef Australia lebih banyak makanan enaknya.

Mungkin karena keseringan nonton acara-acara ini, my passion of cooking's arised. Again. Gue emang pada dasarnya suka masak dan bikin resep simple, tapi semenjak masuk medschool gue udah ngga sempet lagi buat mikir harus mencampur bahan apa dengan apa lalu harus diapain. Tapi karena sekarang gue udah punya cukup waktu untuk belanja dan berantakin dapur (yup, I'm a mess cook), jadi..... Woohoo!

Nah berhubung udah lama ngga masuk dapur, gue coba bikin masakan yg gampang dulu kayak spaghetti bolognese. Terus gue bikin semacam sandwich dari brownies kukus pake melted cheese sama homemade strawberry jam. Ah jadi laper *ngambil brownies kukus*

Setelah beberapa hari menikmati hasil gila-gilaan gue di dapur, akhirnya gue memutuskan untuk bikin masakan yang agak ribet tapi ngga seribet makanan yang perlu dimasak pake oven.

Suatu pagi, gue membuka kulkas dan melihat tepung terigu segitiga biru.

*lampu menyala di atas kepala*

Gue akan bikin crepes!

***

So here you go guys, French Crepes with Crème Pâtissière and Strawberry Salad.

Ingredients

Crepes

150g plain flour (segitiga biru, in my case)

Pinch salt

25g caster sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

40g butter, melted

Extra butter, for cooking

Crème Pâtissière

350mls milk

1 vanilla bean, split (or you can also use vanilla essence)

5 egg yolks

½ cup caster sugar

2 tsp cornflour

Strawberry Salad

1 punnet strawberries, hulled

6 basil leaves, julienned

3 tbs icing sugar

¼ lemon, juiced

Method

To make the crepes, sieve the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl, make a well in the centre, add the eggs and milk and whisk to create a smooth batter. Add the melted butter and whisk until smooth. Strain through a sieve into a clean bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Heat a crepe pan over medium-high heat, brush with a little butter and pour enough mixture into the pan to form a thin crepe. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until golden. Turn over and cook for a further minute. Repeat with remaining crepe batter. Place crepes on a plate, separating each crepe with a piece of baking paper to prevent sticking.

For the crème pâtissière, pour the milk into a saucepan, add the vanilla bean, place over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Remove from heat. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl, whisk until rich and pale. Add cornflour and whisk until combined. Pour half of the hot milk into the egg mixture and continue to whisk until smooth. Add to the remaining milk in the saucepan and continue to whisk for 3-6 minutes over a low heat. Strain through a sieve into a clean saucepan, place over low heat and continue to cook until a thick. Cover and set aside to cool.

To make the strawberry salad, combine the strawberries, basil, icing sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl. Cover and set aside in the fridge.

To serve, place a crepe on a clean flat surface. Using a palate knife spread a little crème pâtissière onto crepe and roll to form a cigar shape. Place a spoonful of the strawberry salad in the centre of a plate and top with a crepe, cross with another crepe and spoon over more strawberry salad to serve.

Ahh what a yummy food *jilat piring*