EASY CRAPES

Crapes are very easy to make. They take few minutes each to cook, but the versatility and flavor make up for that. I usually make bigger batch and keep them in the refrigerator. They can be prepared with a variety of spreads or stuffing and served as a main course, an appetizer or a snack.

INGREDIENTS:

Dough:
2 cups - whole wheat flour
3 cups - water (24 oz)
1 egg
2 tbsp - canola or other cooking oil
½ tsp - salt
Cream Cheese Stuffing:                                         
8 oz - cream cheese
3 tbsp - granulated sugar
1 tsp - vanilla extract

EQUIPMENT:

- 2 qt bowl
- 1 qt bowl
- whisk
- 4 oz ladle
- spatula,
- 9” non stick frying pan

DIRECTIONS:

1. In 2 Qt bowl whisk together flour, water, egg, oil and salt,

2. Warm up the frying pan on medium heat,

3. Pour batter with the ladle, about 3 oz of it, onto the preheated frying pan tipping the pan in circular motion to evenly distribute the thin layer of batter on the pan.

4. Cook one side for 2-3 minutes or when the crape peels off the pan on its own. It should slide freely on the surface of the non stick pan. Flip it on the other side and let cook for another 3-4 minutes. The crape should have light brown irregular marks on both sides but every one will look different, so don‘t look for the pattern. The best way to check if the crape is cooked well is to taste the first one and get the idea how long they need to cook. The time will depend of the heat and the thickness of the crape.

5. In smaller bowl, mix the cream cheese with sugar and vanilla. Fork works really good for that task. Spread the mixture with the spoon on the crapes after they cool down and roll each one tight. Recipe makes about 8 crapes.

The recipe here calls for the whole wheat flour for the benefit of the fiber, but I have to admit that the all purpose unbleached wheat flour is my favorite for the crapes. Other options of stuffing the crapes would include a jam of choice (sweet version) or meat or fish paste.

LAZY COFFEE CAKE

I always loved the yeast coffee cake my grandmother made. I tried to make it myself, but it always seemed like a chore. Messing with yeast starter, looking for warm place to accommodate raising of the cake… too much trouble. Today, I still love grandma’s yeast coffee cake, but I found an easier way to make it. 

INGREDIENTS:

Dough:

4 ½ cups - all purpose flour
¾ cup - granulated sugar
4 ½ tsp - dry yeast
1 tsp - salt
½ cup - unsalted butter
2 - eggs
¾ cup - milk
½ cup - water
1 tsp - vanilla extract

Optional: 8oz - Jam of choice

Crumbs:

½ cup - granulated sugar
½ cup - all purpose flour
¼ cup - unsalted butter

EQUIPMENT:

1 Large bowl,
1 Small bowl,
1 Large wooden spoon,
1 Wisk or fork,
13” x 15” baking pan,
1 Cotton cloth towel.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix all dry ingredients (including yeast) in a bowl, melt butter,

2. Wisk eggs in a separate bowl, add to the dry mixture; add milk and water, then add the melted butter and vanilla. Mix all with big wooden spoon until the dough is smooth,

3. Cover the bowl with the cotton cloth towel and place in the warm place for the dough to rise for 1 to 1 ½ hour. It should double the volume.

4. Prepare the crumbs. Mix flour with sugar, then add melted butter. Mix until crumbs form. The mixture should be somewhat dry and sticky to form clusters.

5. Oil baking sheet (13“ x 15“), dust with flour.

6. After the dough rose spread it in the pan, spread thin layer of jam on top of the dough, then scatter crumbs evenly.

PEAR LIQUEUR

Pear liqueur is quite sweet. It goes well with a desert or on its own. Quick and easy to prepare.

24oz - Pear Syrup

24oz - vodka of choice

24oz - water (boiled for 10 min and cooled)

1 clove, ½” of cinnamon stick and a pinch of nutmeg can be added for more flavor. I like the pure and delicate pear flavor so no additional spices for me. Age 24-48 hours. Enjoy with moderation.


Tip: For clarity, filter the Pear Syrup through the coffee filter.

PEAR SYRUP and SLICED PEARS IN SYRUP

I do have a soft spot for pears… so pear syrup is a frequent in my kitchen. It’s delicate flavor complements many other dishes and deserts or gently pleases the palate on its own when used in a beverage.

The syrup is just one of the products. It can be used as beverage when mixed with water or tea, or used to make the pear liquor - my favorite. The sliced up, cooked pears are perfect for the pear pie.

The ingredients below are very simple by design. Some spices like cinnamon, clove or nutmeg can be added. The amount of water in the recipe is designed to make the syrup for the beverages. If you prefer thicker syrup reduce the amount of water in the recipe. 

INGREDIENTS:

3 lb - pears (5-6 average pears), firm not soft,
3 lb - granulated sugar
48 oz - water
Juice from 1 lemon

EQUIPMENT:

- 12 Qts, non reactive pot
- 4 Qt glass bowl or pot
- Strainer,
- Funnel,
- Clean jars or bottles: 2 x 24oz bottles or jars for the syrup, 2 x 32oz jars for sliced pears (2 x 24oz jars or bottles will be enough for the syrup if you will use the rest of the syrup to preserve the sliced pears),

DIRECTIONS:

1. Clean pears, cut in 8ths, remove cores, leave the skin for more flavor and … fiber.

2. Bring water with sugar to boil.

3. Add cut up pears and lemon juice, bring to boil then simmer for 25 minutes.

4. Run the mixture through the strainer to separate syrup. If using syrup to make a pear liquor, filter the syrup through the coffee filter for better clarity.

5. For preserves, bring back to boil and carefully pour hot syrup to jars or bottles. I leave the small burner on under the pot to maintain the hot temperature of the syrup. Pour until ~½” from the top of the jar/bottle and close the lid tightly. The jars and bottles will be hot. Use gloves or towels to keep from getting burned.

6. The cooked, sliced pears can be also preserved: place sliced pears in a smaller pot, pour syrup over them just to cover the fruits. Usually 24oz will do the trick. Bring to boil, carefully place in jars while hot, close the lids tightly.
 

Note there are no preservatives added. The hot temperature is the key to making preserves without adding chemical preservatives. Cooling contents in the jars/bottles will create vacuum and assure freshness of the contents for several years. Store in cool room.

Coming next: Pear Liqueur

PEAR LEAF TEA

Pears are not only delicious, but also very healthy fruits. I think their benefits are quite underappreciated, and still needing more research. I have few pear trees in my backyard, including the Asian pear, and last year they started to bear fruits. This year the crop looks quite promising - I’m looking forward to the harvest. Even before I was getting my own pears, I used store bought organic pears to make my preserves. Those were: pear syrup, pear jam (great for pies) and pear liquor. Those can all be made from the fruits, but the leaves of the pear tree… the leaves are a whole different story. I prune the pear tree in the spring when its leaves are young and soft, but already green. I pluck the leaves from the pruned brunches and dry them. Dehydrator will work the best, but since I have the stove with a pilot flame… this works the best for me. The oven is always warm and ventilated. I place the pear leaves on the cookie sheet, place them in the oven and leave them there for 2-3 days tossing them over 1-2 times a day. The pilot flame creates enough heat to dry the leaves evenly.

After the leaves are dry, I crush them with hands into flakes. It takes a spoonful of the flakes to make a cup of tea. Some people claim that pear leaf tea can lower the blood pressure. I’ll research that further, but in the meantime, I’ll enjoy a cup of caffeine free, organic, pear leaf tea. It has a delicate soothing, and relaxing flavor.

MUSHROOM BROTH

Mushrooms are so full of flavor and mushroom broth is just an essence of that flavor. I usually make a batch and keep in containers in the freezer or preserved in jars. It can be used later as basic stock in preparing other dishes or drank by itself.

Earlier this year I used the mushroom broth to help me lose 14 lb which, by the way, are still off. I drank it hot with meals which gave me the feeling of being more full. Any time I felt hungry a glass of hot mushroom broth made the trick - especially late in the day.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb - fresh mushrooms (minced)
8 tbsp - dry, minced onion (1 fresh onion can be used instead - have fun crying over it…)
4 tbsp - all purpose spices
96 oz - water
Salt, pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Fill the pot with 96 oz of water, add spices and minced onion,
2. Chop the mushrooms into small pieces. Place in the pot,
3. Bring to boiling and simmer on low heat for about 60 min,
4. Use as basic stock or enjoy a glass on its own.

BLUEBERRY SYRUP and JAM Preserves

 Blueberry is one of my favorite berries. It tastes great, it is versatile in terms of ways of using it in different recipes, it is easy to work with and it gives great yields - most all of the fruit volume can be used without waste.

Usually, aside from freezing the fresh fruit, I make blueberry syrup and jam preserves, so we can enjoy the flavor throughout the year. Both are done at the same time. They are simple to make and last in jars for several years.

INGREDIENTS:

6 lb - fresh blueberries
6 lb - granulated cane sugar
96 oz - water
2 tbsp - lemon juice

EQUIPMENT:

Clean jars or bottles (4x 8 oz jars for jam and 9x 16 oz bottles or jars for the syrup),
Funnel,
2 large (24 Qts), non reactive pots (enamel or stainless steel).

DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse the berries well and place in a big (at least 24 Qt), non reactive (enamel or stainless steel) pot. Add water and sugar, bring to boil and slowly cook for 25 minutes stirring occasionally. Berries will change color and release the juice. Juice and sugar will create the syrup.

2. Strain the syrup through the strainer to a separate pot. Bring back to boil and carefully pour hot syrup to jars or bottles. I leave the small burner on under the pot to maintain the hot temperature of the syrup. Pour until ~½” from the top of the jar/bottle and close the lid tightly. The jars and bottles will be hot. Use gloves or towels to keep from getting burned.

3. Place the fruits remaining in the strainer to a smaller pot and bring to boil. Add lemon juice. Keep low heat burner on under the pot to maintain the hot temperature of the jam. Place jam in jars ½” from the top and close the lids tight. The jars will be hot… use gloves of towels.

Note there are no preservatives added. The hot temperature is the key to making preserves without adding chemical preservatives. Cooling contents in the jars/bottles will create vacuum and assure freshness of the contents for several years. Store in cool room.                                                                                                     

Syrup can be mixed: 1 part of syrup to 3 parts of water to make a delicious juice beverage or jelly (with added gelatin). It can be also added to tea or poured on ice cream.