I might have said it a few times before and now I have to say it again – in addition to being the sweetest, kindest and most generous one, to me, my Mom is also the most skillful, hard-working, inspiring and the most amazing person I have ever met or known in my whole life. I have talked about her amazingpainting, gorgeouswoodcarving, sculpting, gardening or her knitting and crocheting skills in my previous posts. She is absolutely 100% self-taught and in her creative process she always lets her imagination inspire her.
Just recently, during my latest visit, she’d once again left me speechless when she showed me her newest passion – jewelry making.
She says that she’s just starting and that she’s learning basically all her skills from a jewelry channel on TV, but wow, for a beginner, I think her creations look great! She makes rings, pendants and bracelets. Just have a look… I love them all!
Thank you for letting me share, Mom! You are the best! And I also have this little suspicion that you might be an angel on Earth!
Crêpes have always been a very dear-to-the-heart dessert here in our household. We just love them to bits. This recipe or this recipe or this recipe might be a good proof of that.
When I recently stumbled upon a recipe that used pastry cream for a crêpe filling I became quite intrigued to learn what this thing called ‘pastry cream’ might be. And why have my crêpes been missing it all those years? As it turned out, the pastry cream is a simple-to-prepare vanilla custard. It tastes very lovely. And with the addition of fresh fruit, it will turn your crêpes into a finger licking summery treat! Recommended! Yum, yum!
Here’s how you can make this recipe too…
1. To make the pastry cream, in a medium saucepan or pot, combine the milk, little bit of the sugar and the vanilla bean cut in half lengthwise. Place the pot over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the remaining sugar until the mixture has lightened in color. Then add the flour and cornstarch. Whisk again to combine.
3. When the milk is steaming and almost boiling, remove the vanilla bean halves, scrape the seeds out and add the seeds back into the milk mixture. Whisk to combine. Then pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, whisking constantly, until the mixture is homogeneous. Transfer the mixture back to the pot and continue whisking constantly until the mixture has thickened and boiled for a good minute.
4. Take the mixture off the heat. Let cool. Then transfer to the fridge and let cool completely.
5. Prepare the crêpe batter by whisking together all the ingredients. Cook the crêpes in a buttered or oiled preheated cast-iron or a non-stick pan on medium heat.
6. To serve, top each crêpe with a generous dollop of pastry cream and lots of strawberries.
A scoop of ice cream and some chocolate topping might be good additions too.
Finishing touches: 2 pints (1 kg) fresh strawberries, hulled, sliced and mixed with a touch of sugar to bring out the fruit juices
ice cream and chocolate topping (optional)
Instructions
To make the pastry cream, in a medium saucepan or pot, combine the milk, little bit of the sugar and the vanilla bean cut in half lengthwise. Place the pot over medium heat.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the remaining sugar until the mixture has lightened in color. Then add the flour and cornstarch. Whisk again to combine.
When the milk is steaming and almost boiling, remove the vanilla bean halves, scrape the seeds out and add the seeds back into the milk mixture. Whisk to combine. Then pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, whisking constantly, until the mixture is homogeneous. Transfer the mixture back to the pot and continue whisking constantly until the mixture has thickened and boiled for a good minute.
Take the mixture off the heat. Let cool. Then transfer to the fridge and let cool completely.
Prepare the crêpe batter by whisking together all the ingredients. Cook the crêpes in a buttered or oiled preheated cast-iron or a non-stick pan on medium heat.
To serve, top each crêpe with a generous dollop of pastry cream and lots of strawberries.
