Crepes

Remember all those strawberries I talked about in my last post? We're still trying to make our way through them. Tyler's mom suggested having crepes for breakfast so we could stuff them with strawberries and I thought it was a great idea. I've never made crepes before but I was up for the challenge. I went through my recipes and found a recipe for "foolproof crepes" that I bookmarked a long time ago. Tyler's brother helpfully pointed out that since the crepes were "foolproof" if I screwed them up I must be pretty dumb.

The recipe called for blending the ingredients together, which is pretty standard for making crepes. Alas I could not find a blender in the kitchen so I just used a whisk. The batter could have been smoother so I think I would use a blender if you have one, but whisking worked in a pinch.

Making crepes is all in the technique. Luckily the kitchen has one of those green pans you may have seen on television.
                                            
It worked perfectly! You don't need any oil or butter, which makes it easier and healthier to make the crepes. I would highly recommend using this for crepes. I poured in 1/4 cup batter into the pan and then swirled it around in the pan until it gets around all the edges nice and flat. I actually scraped up some of the thicker areas to make it more uniform. Let it cook, flip it, let that side cook and you're ready!

We filled ours with nutella, strawberries, bananas, and some jam. It would also be awesome with peanut butter, other fruit, or whipped cream. Whatever makes you happy. They turned out delicious! I don't even like crepes all that much normally. They weren't too difficult either, about the same as making pancakes but it takes longer because you can only make one at a time. The good news is you can store leftovers in the fridge or freezer and thaw as many as you need. Give them a try some time!

"Foolproof" Crepes
adapted from kitchensimplicity

½ cup water
½ cup milk
1 cup flour
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
2 Tblsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tablespoons oil (olive oil or canola)
 
Place all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Ladle ¼ cup batter into the pan while you tilt it in a circular motion to spread evenly. Cook until the edges start to curl up, flip and cook until both sides light golden brown. Set prepared crepe on a plate and continue with remaining batter, stacking crepes on top of each other (you can keep them warm by placing the plate in an slightly warm oven). Top with desired toppings and roll up to serve.

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Greetings from Minnesota!

  

Today we went to pick our own strawberries at the most adorable little farm outside of White Bear. It was an awesome day with awesome people and we had a lot of fun! We also picked a lot of strawberries. 

Tyler's family has been raving about my baking skills so the pressure was on to create something tasty for dessert tonight. I picked up The Pioneer Woman's new book at Tyler's aunt's house and flipped to the perfect recipe! Strawberry Shortcake Cake fit the bill perfectly. It is basically just a giant strawberry shortcake instead of individual ones. I did make some adjustments to the recipe with which I am very pleased. Please forgive the quality of the pictures, they were kind of an after thought while everyone was eating.

The cake comes together quickly, I appreciate a cake that only uses one bowl. I forgot to buy cake pans so I used a 10 inch skillet and made it a single layer cake instead of two layers. It worked out just fine.

Originally the recipe called for a cream cheese frosting but I thought that might be way too sweet so I topped it with just some lightly sweetened whipped cream. Everyone loved it! It highlighted the fresh strawberries in the best possible way. With fruit that fresh and perfect I think you should keep their integrity as much as possible. It's a great summer dessert, light and refreshing and doesn't weigh you down. 

Strawberry Shortcake Cake 

 Adapted from The Pioneer Woman 

• • 1 1/2 cup flour
  • 3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 9 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened
  • 1-1/2 cup Sugar
  • 3 whole Large Eggs
  • 1/2 cup Sour Cream, Room Temperature
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla 
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • sugar 

IMPORTANT: Be sure to use a cake pan that’s at least 2 inches deep! Before baking, the batter should not fill the pan more than halfway.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and corn starch.
Cream 9 tablespoons butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined.

Pour into greased and floured 10 inch skillet. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Remove from cake pan as soon as you pull it out of the oven, and place on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.

Stem strawberries and slice them in half from bottom to top. Place into a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir together and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mash the strawberries in two batches. Sprinkle each half with 1 tablespoons sugar and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.

Slice cake in half through the middle. Spread strawberries evenly over each half (cut side up), pouring on all the juices.

Whip the cream with 2Tblsp sugar. Spread over the strawberries and serve. Refrigerate leftovers. Enjoy!   

Strawberry Lemonade Sorbet

It's summertime!!!!! I can't even tell you how much I love summer. The afternoon thunder storms, how it stays light so late, going to the beach and pool, and even the heat and humidity. I love it all. That being said, it does get awfully hot sometimes. This sorbet is the perfect solution!

I make sorbet fairly often in my ice cream maker but if you don't have an ice cream maker you can still enjoy home made sorbet; it's just a little more labor intensive.

This sorbet is amazing. Fresh strawberries mixed with just the right amount of lemon juice creates an icy, fruity delicious concoction to cool you down. I plan to blend some of this sorbet with some rum or vodka because it will be DELICIOUS, I just know it. I can't wait.

Strawberry Lemonade Sorbet

• about 12 strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 5 basil or mint leaves (optional)
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tblsp vodka (optional) 

Pour the water and sugar into a saucepan and heat up just until the sugar dissolves. Let cool completely. When cool pour the sugar water into a blender and add the rest of the ingredients  and blend until smooth. (The vodka helps with texture, it keeps it from freezing hard as a rock. If you don't use just let it sit on the counter for a minute before scooping). Pour into an ice cream maker and let freeze. Spoon into a container and place in the freezer for a few more hours before serving.

If you don't have an ice cream machine you can pour the mixture into a glass dish and place in the freezer. Every hour scrape the ice crystals off the top and mix. Soon you will have a slushy consistency that you can transfer into a container and freeze until solid.