Make Ahead
Crêpe Tartin
- Serves 6
Author Notes
The apple portion of this recipe comes courtesy of Smitten Kitchen’s Tarte Tartin recipe. I’ve made it many a time, and it is completely fantastic. My suggestion is to save the apple cores and peelings: throw them into a pot with a cup of sugar, some cinnamon, vanilla or nutmeg, and enough water to cover everything. Let it simmer away until you have a syrup. Strain out the solids, and use the syrup for anything from cocktails to an ice cream topping. —Cristina Sciarra
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- Crêpes Sucrées ingredients (these measurements come from my boyfriend's mother’s recipe for Crêpes Sucrées and yeild about 8 crêpes))
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100 grams (a pinch more than ¾ of a cup) white flour
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1 egg
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1 cup of milk
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a dash of Cognac
-
butter, for cooking
- Apples and Cream
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5 hard, green apples
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1 stick of salted butter
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1 cup white sugar
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½ cup crème fraiche
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1 cup heavy cream
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½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped
Directions
- Crêpes Sucrées ingredients (these measurements come from my boyfriend's mother’s recipe for Crêpes Sucrées and yeild about 8 crêpes))
- In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together. If you are letting it rest overnight, cover the bowl and move it to the refrigerator. (Bring it to room temperature before you start cooking.) If it will only sit for 2 hours or so, cover it and keep it at room temperature.
- When you are ready to make the crêpes, locate your widest, flattest non-stick pan. Using a paper towel, rub a thin sheen of butter all over the pan, and then set it over medium heat. (You can repeat this for every new crêpe, but it usually isn’t necessary.)
- When the pan is hot, use a ladle to quickly drop a measure of the batter into the pan. Turn the pan in a wide circle, as quickly as you can, so that the batter distributes evenly and rapidly. You want as thin a pancake as possible. Don’t worry if the first one is a disaster; it’s part of the process. Save the disasters for yourself. You will get better with each crêpe.
- As the crêpes cook, pile them on a plate; you want to cook all of your crêpes before you start filling them.
- Apples and Cream
- Prepare the apples: In a heavy pan, heat the stick of butter until it is just melted. Add the sugar, and stir until combined.
- Meanwhile, peel and core the apples, and cut them into quarters. Place the apples in the pan in one even layer. (You might have some extra apple, it’s ok, hold on to them.)
- Place the apple pan over medium-high heat, and cook for about 20 minutes. You want to flip each apple when their bottoms are amber-colored. This is where you can add the leftover apple pieces to the pan, if there is room after you’ve flipped the apples.
- Cook for another 5 minutes or so. Pay attention as you do this; you want a deep caramel, but not a burnt one.
- Prepare the whipped cream: In a large bowl, add the crème fraiche, the cream and the vanilla. Beat with the whisk attachment of a handheld mixer until the cream comes together. (This can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator.)
- Assemble the crêpes: Fold one or two sweet crêpes per person into little envelopes. Top with a few pieces of apple, and the cream.
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Cristina is a writer, cook, and day job real estate developer. She studied literature, holds an MFA in Fiction Writing, and completed the Basic Cuisine course at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She lives in Jersey City with her husband--a Frenchman she met in Spain--and their sweet black cat, Minou. Follow her writings, recipes, publications and photography at theroamingkitchen.com.
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