crepes Archives - Sugar et al

Coconut Crepes With Yogurt, Mango And Palm Sugar Caramel

20|01|2015

I am surprised at how much I have started to like coconut recently. This comes from someone who has eaten/drank as much coconut as one would eat potatoes or drink milk as a child. I was actually never fond of milk and unfortunately there were no alternatives like almond or soy milk available at that time. There was coconut milk but in a place where one had easy access to coconut water, the water was preferred, more than the milk. In tropical countries, coconut is found in abundance. In India, where I grew up, drinking coconut water or cooking with freshly grated coconut is a way of life. People are equipped and ready to give themselves a arm workout when the need arises. Which is frequently. The grated version is used in curries, sweet dishes, rice and fillings while the milk (which is actually extracted by passing the grated coconut through a cheesecloth) finds its uses in many different dishes. Yet, I don’t have any memory of a particular liking for coconut. Maybe some of the dishes that it was used in were a favorites but not coconut itself. I guess it needed a few cakes, friands and crepes to acknowledge this liking.

In the present day I cannot imagine standing long hours trying to grate a coconut or extracting milk when it is so convenient to get hold of a packet of desiccated coconut or a can of coconut milk that is ready for consumption and is so much easier to store. Ask my mother and she will tell you that the packed variety is nowhere close to the fresh one. True! But in this turbo charged, everything-needing-attention world I could do without cracking open a fruit by hitting it on the ground (that was how it was cracked open back home).

This breakfast dish is very tropical. I have used coconut milk in the crepe batter and desiccated coconut in the filling. Then there is yogurt, fresh mangoes, raspberries, basil and a palm sugar caramel. In the sweet treats that I ate as a little girl, coconut was often paired with palm sugar, hence the idea. Other than the caramel, the dish is a healthy breakfast option so if you are on a diet, leave out the caramel and run a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey through the yogurt instead to sweeten it. The flavors are amazing together, very refreshing! If you do not have access to fresh mangoes, you could use canned ones or replace with seasonal fruits. Like persimmons, figs and even bananas.

Coconut Crepes With Yogurt, Mangoes And Palm Sugar Caramel
Makes 5-6 crepes

1/2 cup plain flour, sifted
2/3 cup coconut milk
2 eggs, lightly whisked
40 g butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
2 cups unsweetened Greek yogurt (if leaving out caramel, you could use sweetened yogurt)
2 mangoes, chopped into cubes
10-12 raspberries/strawberries
fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Icing sugar, to dust (optional)

For the palm sugar caramel
1/2 cup palm sugar, roughly chopped
1/2 cup water

Place the flour in a bowl making a well in the centre. Slowly whisk in the coconut milk, eggs and butter. Let stand for 15-20 minutes. Heat a non-stick frying over medium heat. Add 2-3 tbsp of the crepe batter, swirling the pan to coat the base evenly. Cook for a minute or until edges start to brown. Turn and cook for another minute until golden. Transfer to a serving plate. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Divide the desiccated coconut, yogurt, mangoes and raspberries between the crepes. Serve with palm sugar caramel and basil. Dust with icing sugar.

To make the palm sugar caramel, heat the palm sugar and water together until smooth and thickened. The mixture solidifies on cooling down so reheat before serving.

Breakfast Poppy Seed Crepes with Strawberries and Yogurt

9|01|2014

Week 2 of our stay in the new neighbourhood has maintained that we are spoilt rotten to our very existence. The waterfront has been calling out to us ever so often that we find it hard to stay indoors. To add to that our sunny skies have been hiding behind a huge cloud cover making it the perfect weather to sit late at the roadside cafes sipping a cup of hot chocolate or sharing a gooey macadamia brownie as we watch the sun dip into the horizon typically around 8.30 pm.

Talking about brownies, did I tell you I have not made a single dessert in the New Year! Okay…just a quick something which did not qualify as a dessert in my eyes. That was the quickest Tiramisu ever that still managed a few compliments. There is barely room for error when you are dealing Savoiardi biscuits, Mascarpone and Kahlua. Don’t ask me for the recipe though. Or even if I tell you just THROW in (I love that word. In most quick recipes I come across, you THROW everything in) the components into serving glasses, don’t follow my recipe. At least don’t make them in walking shoes and most importantly don’t mix with the back of a strainer when your cutlery is yet to be retrieved from cartons. See what I mean when I say the water is calling out to me!

I’m sure we’ve all had dessert crepes. But this one has yoghurt in it. So it has earned itself a place in the healthy breakfast category. Well, this again is a very THROW-able recipe. Stir, cook, throw, repeat! What are the poppy seeds doing here? They don’t really have a major role to play other than the speckled look and a teeny-weeny crunch. I ‘threw’ them in the last-minute trying to make things a little different. There is not much to talk about the filling either…you can be as creative as you wish to be. For a healthier take, skip the preserve altogether or add a dash of honey to the yoghurt. Or you can straight away use low-fat flavoured yoghurt as a filling.

In this context, I’d love to share a story of a cookie baking session when I asked my pre-schooler to THROW ingredients together. But you would have already guessed:-)

Breakfast Poppy Seed Crepes with Strawberries and Yoghurt
Serves 6

1 cup plain flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
11/2 cups milk
11/2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
1 cup low-fat Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp. raspberry preserves (or any preserve/jam of your choice)
Fresh strawberries or raspberries, to serve

Place flour into a bowl. Whisk milk and eggs together in a jug. Add milk mixture to flour. Add the melted butter and whisk until well combined. Fold in the poppy seeds. Let the batter for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile place the yoghurt and raspberry preserve in a mixing bowl. Gently mix the two together to create a swirl effect.

Place a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Pour 2 1/2 tablespoons batter into the pan. Swirl to cover base. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until light golden. Turn over and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter.

Place 2 tablespoons of yoghurt mixture in the centre of a crepe. Fold into triangles to enclose the filling. Repeat with the remaining mixture and crepes. Divide among serving plates. Decorate with fresh sliced strawberries.

Mirrors for life. And Crepes with Caramelised Oranges and Spiced Orange Syrup.

16|04|2013

“There were once two sisters
who were not afraid of the dark
because the dark was full of the other’s voice
across the room
because even when the night was thick
and starless
they walked home together from the river
seeing who could last the longest
without turning on her flashlight,
not afraid
because sometimes in the pitch of the night
they’d lie on their backs
in the middle of the path
and look up until the stars came back
and when they did,
they’d reach their arms to touch them
and they did.”
-The Sky Is Everywhere

April is a month when I run high on emotions. Two birthdays that are very special to me. Today is my Sister’s birthday and I long to be with her…talk away into the night…giggle ourselves to tears..till someone in the family exclaims aloud ‘but what are you laughing at?’ Just thinking about the annoyed-puzzled expression of my Dad makes me smile.

A Sister is a world of fun. She is the hand that will catch you every time you fall…the nose that can sniff whatever you have been up to, the eyes that are always lusting after your clothes (size never matters)..the ears that can pick up all the words you don’t say…your defender, your significant other in crime, your secret keeper…and in my case, the stern doctor. ‘So the name is Sugar et al…when did you go for your last health checkup?’

My sister loves Crepes. I have never understood why..I mean its the same ingredients (eggs, flour, butter, sugar) that can translate into something more fancy..like a cake or pudding. But she would always insist on Crepes. The last time I saw her (close to a year), she convinced me to make them right before she departed to catch her flight. And she kept running around the house with a plate of crepes, stuffing them into her mouth as she filled up her suitcases with last minute items.

This is a no alcohol version of the Crepe Suzette. Had T been here, I would have loved to add a tumbler of Cointreau into it but at present the audience are 3 year olds who could definitely do without it. I have also added a twist by including spices in the syrup.

Happy Birthday Dear Sister! You are the knowledge I carry that I can never be alone, my ‘voice in the dark’. In you, I see my childhood…the ‘stars’ I reached for and the ones I will reach for..and my retirement (when we will discuss grandchildren)…

You are my Mirror for Life!

Crepes with Caramelised Oranges and Spiced Orange Syrup

Serves 5

For the Crepes

1 cup plain flour

11/2 cups milk

2 eggs

2 tbsp butter, melted

For the Syrup

1/4 cup sugar (or as per sweetness, reduce the quantity)

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tsp grated orange zest

1 tsp powdered ginger

3-4 star anise

2 sticks cinnamon

2 tbsp orange liquor (optional)

For the Caramelised Oranges

2 Navel Oranges peeled and sliced into circles

3-4 tsp castor sugar

Whipped cream to serve

Chopped Toasted Pistachios to serve(optional)

Sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Whisk the eggs and milk together in a separate bowl. Add the egg-milk mixture and the melted butter into the flour and whisk together. Let stand for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the syrup by adding all the ingredients into a saucepan. Heat over medium heat till the sugar dissolves and the mixture is reduced to a thick consistency(10-12 mins). Keep warm.

Make the crepes. Heat a non stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup batter and swirl the pan to evenly spread out the batter. Cook till the edges start to turn brown (longer if you want them crispy). Turn over the other side and cook for another 30 seconds till golden. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Sprinkle sugar over the orange circles. Caramelise with a blow torch. (Alternatively, if a blow torch is not available heat 1/2 tsp butter and 2 tsp sugar in a pan. When the sugar starts to caramelise, add the oranges and cook for 30 secs till brown..turn over and cook the other side. Remove from heat and keep aside.

To serve: Fold the crepes into triangles and place 2-3 on a plate. Pour the warm spiced orange syrup over the crepes. Add a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with chopped pistachios.