Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Strawberry Crepes!

 Easy and delicious, any fruit can be used to make fancy-looking crepes!


Makes about 8 crepes - depending on size of pan used


Ingredients

Batter:
    2 eggs
    1/2 cup milk
    1/2 cup water
    1 cup all-purpose flour
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    2 tablespoons butter, melted
    extra butter for pan

Filling:
    1 container fresh strawberries – Sliced and a few mashed up - see below (or alternative fruit)
    1 cup Cream (or just use the whipped cream in the can)
    2 Tbsp sugar
    1 Tsp vanilla
    Powdered sugar, if desired.

Method

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and water. Gradually add in the flour , stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; whisk until smooth.  Batter will be thin.  I personally like to allow the batter to sit for a while at this point but it is not entirely necessary. 

Heat a small non-stick pan with a little butter (or margarine) on medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the centre of the pan, tilt the pan and turn so that the mixture evenly coats the entire bottom of the pan.

Cook until the top loses its gloss, which should only take a minute, then flip. The bottom should be golden.
Cook the other side for about 15 seconds and then slide out onto a plate.  This second side should not have much colour but should appear only slightly glossy. 

Place on a paper-towel lined plate while you cook the remaining crepes.
  
 Assemble crepes on individual plates in this way:
 Spoon one Tbsp mashed strawberries followed by sliced strawberries down centre of crepe.
 Top strawberries with whipped cream (with a bag or spoon)  Do not overfill as the crepe will tear.
 Roll each crepe, burrito-style, as in the photo above. 
 Sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar and a few strawberry pieces on the top as it looks really nice.


This recipe can easily be made non-dairy by substituting non-dairy cream and using margarine.  Sugar can also be omitted or a sugar alternative can be used. 
Other fruit can also be used.  Try apricot jam with sliced peaches and substitute the vanilla extract with almond extract - really nice.
Raspberries, blueberries, passion-fruit, or nearly any fruit you enjoy can be used.

K (d) unless substituting with non-dairy (p) ingredients

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Salmon Patties - Kosher for Pesach!



Ingredients:

1 can salmon 415g/tall can - pink is best - juice and all
1 egg
1 Tbsp potato starch (or matzo meal, flour or fine bread crumbs) or smashed/ground instant potato flakes
finely minced onion - about 2 Tbsp (optional)
finely minced parsley - about 1 Tbsp (optional)
oil for frying - doesn't take much



Method:
In a bowl, add the canned salmon, egg, onion, parsley and mix a bit with your hands or a fork.  Add the potato starch (or other binding agent)  Do not overwork this mixture.

Heat a fry pan on medium high with just a drizzle of oil to cover the bottom.

Make patties using a large tablespoon - you should get about 9 patties from this amount of salmon

Place patties into the hot pan and do not press down.  Allow them to cook for about 4 minutes or until brown on one side.  Flip over with a spatula (easiest when the patties are small as directed)  and cook until brown on the other side.

Serve with salad (and grits! if not during Pessah)

Enjoy.

I have found that children prefer the milder taste of pink salmon.  Thankfully, it is less expensive than the red canned salmon.


Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled according to the size of your family.