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Maison Travers

~ Living & Cooking in France

Maison Travers

Tag Archives: pancakes

Crêpes – authentic sweet French crêpes

02 Saturday Jun 2018

Posted by Nadia in Biscuits/cookies and cakes, Breakfast, Desserts, General

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

crepe, crepes, gouter, pancakes

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0e95a6f0-f9fc-4201-8603-44508be32b8d.jpegCrêpes – what can be more of a french classic, and so very versatile too as they can served sweet or savoury?  These are authentic sweet french crêpes as one finds all over France, very thin and slightly crispy.  Fill them with jam, nutella, sugar, cinnamon, fruit, or a combination of the above. one of my favourites is nutella, banana and crème chantilly. Yum! I am getting hungry even thinking about it. The savoury version traditionally uses buckwheat flour and is often called a galette. That will be another post.

Note: If you are using whole milk, then use the water and milk combination. If you are using low fat milk, you can use all milk if you wish.

Ingredients:

  • 125 ml / 1/2 cup cold milk
  • 125 ml / 1/2 cup water, preferably cold
  • 2 eggs
  • 100 g / (3/4 cup +1 T) flour
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
Preparation:
Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl
Make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it, whisk together
In another bowl combine the milk, water and melted butter
Gradually add small quantities of the milk, water and butter mixture, still whisking (don’t worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk)

Whisk until the batter is smooth, about the consistency of thin cream
Blender method: Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl (or blender jug). Blend with an immersion blender until everything is combined, scrapping down the sides of the bowl a few times. If there are lumps, continue blending until the lumps are gone
Cover the mixing bowl with a plastic wrap, place the bowl in the refrigerator and chill the batter for at least 1 hour before using to allow flour particles to expand in the liquid to yield a tender and light crepe. The batter can be made the day before and kept chilled until ready to use.
Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium high heat – I use a 20cm /8″ crêpe pan
Sprinkle droplets of water onto the pan and if the water sizzles immediately, it means the pan is hot enough for use
Brush a thin layer of melted butter onto the pan
Pour or scoop the batter onto the pan, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crêpe
Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly
Cook for about 30 seconds until the edges begin to brown, then loosen the crêpe with a spatula and turn to the other side to cook for another 30 seconds
Transfer the cooked crêpe onto a plate and repeat until all the batter is used up
Enjoy!
Tips:
After cooking the first crêpe, determine if ¼-cup of batter is too much or too little and adjust the batter amount for the subsequent crêpes.
The crêpe batter consistency should be that of a light cream, just thick enough to coat a spoon. If you find the batter too thick or heavy you may whisk in water, tablespoon by tablespoon. You only want enough to coat the bottom of the pan, without any extra pooled in the middle. Pour the batter into the pan, lifting the pan up to tilt it, allowing the batter to swirl all the way over the bottom of the pan in a very thin layer. If you have poured in too much, pour out the excess.
If the crêpe is burning or setting too fast for your comfort, lower the heat slightly or place the frying pan on a wet tea towel for 5 to 10 seconds to cool down the frying pan slightly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Butternut and potato cakes

05 Thursday Jan 2017

Posted by Nadia in Appetizers, Breakfast, General, Sides

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

brunch, butternut, cakes, cumin, fritters, lunch, middle eastern, pancakes, potato, potimarron, vegetarian, za'atar

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If you only try one new recipe this month, do try this one. These healthy vegetable pancakes are excellent for breakfast or brunch topped with a poached egg, served as a light lunch with a side salad or even as a tasty side dish to accompany meat for dinner. There is no need to shred or grate the veggies, you simply boil them as if you were making a mash – cannot be easier and less washing up too. Feel free to add some corn, cooked cauliflower or even broccoli to the mix if you wish. I have spiced them up a bit and given them a bit of a middle eastern flavour by adding the cumin and the za’atar and the taste is pure heaven. They are also not deep fried like fritters but lightly sautéed more like a pancake, so healthier for you too. So, what are you waiting for…. Get cooking.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
500 g / 1 lb butternut or potimarron, peeled and cut into large cubes
1 tablespoon butter
2 medium onions, diced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon za’atar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, whisked
3 tablespoons oil
to serve
1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Handful of rocket or mâche leaves

Preparation:

Place the butternut and potatoes in a saucepan with water and cook until soft
Drain and return to the heat to dry them out for about 20 seconds
Mash with a potato ricer or a masher, set aside
In a sauté pan, over medium heat, melt the butter and add the onions
Cook until soft and lightly brown
Add the onions to the butternut and potato mixture
Add the cumin, za’atar, salt and pepper
Add the egg and mix well to combine, the mixture will be soft but not runny
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan
Spoon heaps of the mixture into the pan and press gently to flatten a bit
After about 2 minutes, flip the cakes carefully (they are fairly soft)
Cook until golden brown
Keep warm until all the mixture has been cooked
Place one cake on a plate and top with a spoonful of crème fraîche, add another cake and another spoonful of cream
Sprinkle with the cilantro and the salad leaves
Enjoy!

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Potato pancakes with smoked salmon / Pancakes au pommes de terre et saumon fumé

02 Saturday Jan 2016

Posted by Nadia in Appetizers, Breakfast, General, Seafood

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Journiac, new year, pancakes, pomme de terre, potatoes, saumon fume, smoked salmon

IMG_6382This was born out of some left over smoked salmon and a desire to eat it with something other than a bagel, (not available in the Dordogne), a slice of bread, (so many great choices here in the Dordogne), pasta, (too many carbs after Christmas and New Year), salad, (too healthy), so I decided to try something a little different and it turned out really tasty. With the addition of the beaten egg whites, the pancakes are very light and fluffy. I served it with some créme fraîche, lemon slices and freshly ground black pepper and a glass of champagne for dinner yesterday. A perfect light meal after our 6 course New Year’s Eve dinner at the local Journiac town-hall. That was quite a feast. We had mushroom soup, a slice of foie gras, scallops on a bed of pureed leeks, venison steak with potato gratin and veggies, salad with a brillat savarin cheese with truffle and nougat glacé. All washed down with limitless wine and champagne. The evening started at 8pm and the first guest left around 02am!
As you can now understand, we needed a light dinner the following day. This recipe however would work equally well for lunch or even make a scrumptious breakfast, just add some creamy scrambled eggs and you are good to go.

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Pour 6 personnes

Ingrédients:

3 grosses pommes de terre
2 oeufs
40 cl de lait
4 c. à soupe de farine
1/2 sachet de levure chimique
Huile végétale
Sel et poivre noire du moulin
6 tranches de saumon fumé
200 g de crème fraîche
1 citron
3 brins de persil plat, hachez

Préparation:

Pelez et lavez les pommes de terre
Coupez-les en gros morceaux et faites-les cuire 20 minutes à la vapeur
Ècrasez-les avec une fourchette et laissez refroidir
Dans une jatte, mélangez les jaunes d’oeufs avec le lait
Ajoutez les pommes de terre, la farine et la levure
Montez les blancs d’oeufs en neige
Incorporez-les délicatement à la préparation
Faites chauffer un filet d’huile dans une poêle
Versez des petites louches de préparation
Faites cuire les pancakes 2 à 3 minutes sur chaque face
Réservez au chaud
Superposez une tranche de saumon sur chaque pancake
Mettez une grosse cuillerée de crème fraîche et du persil
Donnez quelque tours de moulin à poivre
Servez avec un morceau de citron
Bon Appétit!

 

IMG_6383Serves 6

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes
2 eggs, separated
400 ml / 14 oz milk
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (or use self raising flour)
Oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
6 slices smoked salmon
200 g / 7 oz crème fraîche or sour cream
Fresh parsley, finely cut
1 or 2 lemons cut into 6 wedges

Preparation:

Peel and wash the potatoes
Cut them into large pieces and steam them for 20 minutes
Mash roughly with a fork and leave to cool slightly
In a bowl, mix the egg yolks with the milk
Add the mashed potatoes, the flour and the baking powder and mix
In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff
Gently fold them into the potato mixture
Drizzle a little oil in a sauté pan over medium heat
Add the mixture using a small soup ladle
Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side
Keep warm until you use all the mixture
Place some smoked salmon on each pancake
Top with a large dollop of cream
Sprinkle on some parsley
Add some freshly ground black pepper
Serve with a wedge of lemon
Enjoy!

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