Today we commemorated Bastille Day the best we could with a busy family going off in different directions at different times of day.
Yet we were all able to come together at dinner to try a new treat that I’ve not dared to make.
MAKING CREPES WITH ALTON BROWN
I used Alton Brown’s tips to take away my fear of…crepes.
First, Alton taught me how to pronounce them correctly.
No, I could not talk my high school into letting me take French, so I have to pick it up here and there.
Crepe is pronounced /krep/ with a short e sound.
Another fear was that I did not have the required blender that most recipes insist on.
Alton Brown told me that it’s okay to use the food processor. 😉
After adding chopped chives to the batter, I pulsed the processor ten times.
As Alton insisted, I placed the batter in the fridge while I tackled other tasks of the day.
Finally, it was time to cook the crepes.
Even though the first 5 were difficult to flip, I finally figured out the trick thanks to Alton Brown’s tips.
After that the crepes came out perfectly!
I made a mushroom filling for these, which I paired with a green leaf salad with a rasperry chipotle dressing and blueberries.
EASY CREAMY CREMES BRULEES
Wanting to keep the meal as low carb as possible, I wanted to sneak in a decadent French dessert.
Since I was so impressed with these frozen crèmes brulees that I first bought for our 1930s Becoming History presentation, I was glad for an excuse to purchase them again.
Safeway brand is quite creamy, richly flavored with vanilla, and wonderfully crackly on the top from the melted sugar.
The box says these are imported from France!
Also each one comes in its own French ceramic pottery that I have reused numerous times as prep bowls or dessert bowls.
At $5 a box of two, I feel this is a real bargain!
FRENCH MOVIE NIGHT
I thought we’d top off our evening with a French movie, of which I have two: Casablanca and Sabrina (with Harrison Ford).
I suggested Casablanca since it has La Marseillaise in it and it’s about liberty.
My daughter had a rough day at work.
As soon as she walked in to work tonight, she was informed that they are shutting the doors forever.
Since she is job hunting again, she requested laughter for the evening.
So, we are watching Sabrina.
After all, Paris is always a good idea.
