Crepes Suzette

I absolutely love crepes, sweet or savory. I often whip up a batch of batter to have on hand just in case the mood strikes. Although I have assembled many kinds of crepes, I had yet to try my hand at the old standby of Crepes Suzette.
In other recipes, I have mentioned that I feel that Grand Marnier can be somewhat overpowering, but in Crepes Suzette it never is.
The preparation is so simple that I can't believe I had not created this delicious dessert before now.
All you need is:
Crepes of course (which ever recipe you prefer)
I usually make mine simply:
2 Eggs
1 1/3 cup Milk
1 cup all-purpose Flour
2 Tbsp melted Butter
Pinch Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
Whip milk, eggs, salt, and flour together.
Add melted Butter.
Mix in vanilla.
Cook in Crepe pan and set aside.
Fold Crepes in half.

In a separate pan:

Melt 4 or 5 Tbsp. Butter
Add 1/4 cup Orange Juice

Zest of Orange
App. 3 Tbsp. Sugar
Place crepes in pan.
Move Crepes around to absorb some of the sauce.
Fold crepes over again into quarters.
Pour in about 1/4 cup Grand Marnier.
Carefully light liquid with match.
Carefully, jostle the crepes around in the flaming sauce.
Once the flames begin to diminish, remove crepes and serve.
I usually dust mine with just a bit of confectioners sugar and zest for color.

Rustic Apple Tart (Phylo Dough)

I purchased some Phylo dough a little while ago and had been meaning to make something with it for some time. I saw some beautiful Golden Delicious and Granny Smith Apples at the grocery the other day, so here we have a Rustic Apple Tart.
The Phylo came out beautifully flaky and buttery. The tartness of the apples comes through wonderfully and the tart is just slightly sweet, just sweet enough.

Once again, I did not use a specific recipe so all measurements are approximations.

3 Golden Delicious Apples
1 Granny Smith Apple
(Peeled, cored, thinly sliced then the slices halved)
1/2-cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean (scored down side then scraped)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon juice
Pinch salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. Chinese Five Spice
1 egg (optional)
Mix all ingredients, except the egg, in a bowl and set aside for at least 15 minutes so flavors can meld together.
Separate layers of Phylo dough, brush with butter, and layer about five sheets on a greased baking sheet.
Spoon apple mixture into center of dough.
Fold in corner of dough and continue around folding each section onto the previous section.
Brush the outside with butter, I also brushed the outside with a little beaten egg, and then also sprinkled with a bit of sugar.

Evening Delights

I first had these simple and delicious cocktails when I was studying in Italy some years ago. I used to visit a small corner bar, The Art Bar where I discovered these tasty concoctions.
I had a small dinner gathering the other night and thought that these libations would be perfect for the occasion. The Caipiroska is traditionally served just as "Caipiroska" with lime only, but I find that the strawberries add an extra delightful sweetness and texture.

Strawberry Caipiroska:

Very simple ingredients:

Vodka
Limes
Strawberries
Sugar
Ice

Chop Limes into eighths
Chop strawberries into quarters
Place a few of each the limes and the strawberries into bottom of glass and sprinkle with about 1 tsp. of sugar.
Muddle the three ingredients together with a muddler or wooden spoon

.

Fill with ice.
Then fill with vodka.
Give the drink a stir and there you go, easy and delicious.
Feel free to top off with some soda water for some sparkle.

Cheers!

Blogging With A Purpose (2)

Apparently, one of my selections for the "Blogging With A Purpose Award": majhipaak-kala.blogspot.com,
no longer exists. I find this very unfortunate not only because I enjoyed her recipes, but because I did not hear from her before she disappeared. If you are out there majhipaak-kala.blogspot.com, feel free to contact me.
At first I was going to pass the Award on to someone else, but I feel bad that they were not originally on the list.
Thank you to everyone involved.