I am currently working on a little crêpe project and I have been experimenting all kinds of batters and fillings…and this one has been one of my favorites. It’s so simple but a real delight.

Now I was wondering what the difference between dulce de leche and caramel was. Dulce de leche has this exotic sound to it, and is found in many South American households and is mainly condensed milk cooked and reduced to a brownish paste. In France, we call caramel two things, one thing being the sugar and water melted and reduced to a and golden brown color, the other thing being the mixture of sugar, butter and cream that has turned into a thick smooth and velvety texture. Dulche de leche is translated into French by “confiture de lait” or milk jam and it’s made by boiling whole milk and sugar for about 3 hours. The milk reduces and turns thick and golden brown.

you can spray it on crêpes, on buns, brioche, etc…like you would use jam, or just lose your finger in the jar and enjoy it. As you can imagine there are as many crêpes recipes as there are people, less flour, more milk, less eggs, more water, cider, no cider, beer, no beer…you have to find the batter recipe that fits your tastes. Whereas some people like crêpes to be crunchy, I like mine softer. If you want them crunchy, they need to cook at a low temperature for a longer time. If you like them soft, they need to cook rapidly at high temperature. So voila! find the crêpe recipe you like and play with it.

Now I have to admit that I cheated with this one. I did not make my own dulce de leche, but I bought a jar at the store…homemade or not, I loved it, and could hardly keep my finger off the jar. I will definitely write a post about making homemade dulce de leche when I have 2 or 3 hours to spare.

Ingredients for 12-16 crêpes

For the batter

• 40 g sugar
• 4 eggs
• 250 g flour
• 500 ml whole milk
• 3 tbs brown butter
• one pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp rum

For the filling

• 12 tbs dulce de leche
• 12 apples, peeled and sliced

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, mix eggs and sugar and beat until a smooth a white consistency. Add flour, mix well. Add milk and stir until the batter becomes smooth and homogeneous. Melt butter until it becomes brown and add to the batter. Add vanilla extract and rum. Mix well and let it rest for about one hour.

Grill apples on a skillet or grill pan. When the crepes are done, spread one tbs dulce de leche on each crêpe and garnish with apples. Fold and enjoy.

Cherries are finally in season and this house is a red fruit mad house, red fruits are all over, even on the rug, towels, and walls! I think in between the strawberries and the cherries, there must be about 15 lbs of those red beauties in the refrigerator. Enzo the dog and Lilou the parrotlet have been on a red fruit diet too like everyone else…I think there will be more cherry and strawberry recipes in the next coming days, for those who have a berry fetish like we do have here.

Cherry soup is a popular sweet and regional peasant soup served as a dessert where I grew up, mostly in a mountainy region called Les Vosges, it’s basically a ski area, with lots of farms and cabins, ski resorts, and many rustic restaurant offer it on their menu. The cherries are cooked in a red wine, sugar and vanilla with a flour base sauce. Due to the quantity of cherries, I might feature this one in the next coming days.

I have been entertaining lately therefore experimenting many cold soups served in verrines. I love small verrines, they make such cute and fun little appetizers. When you have tons of cherries like I do, chutneys or soups are wonderful, and call it a coincidence, but I found this deliciously pungent Basque cheese called Etorki, it’s a sheep cheese that is traditionally served in the Basque region (Pays Basque) with cherry jam as a tasting (en dégustation), so that was a no brainer, those dark cherries would turn into a jam or chutney and served with Etorki. That sweet-salty cherry chutney and Etorki cheese are simply a magic match.

Ingredients for 4 small verrines

• 400 g red cherries, pits removed
• 2 tbs sugar
• 3 tbs raspberry vinegar
• 3 cloves
• vanilla powder (or 1 vanilla bean scraped)
• Szechuan pepper

Preparation

In a medium size pot, mix cherries with cloves, sugar, Szechuan pepper, cover it and let the mixture cook for 5-10 min at medium heat, until the cherries start to soften and turn into a jam. Add vinegar and reduce for an additional 5-7 minutes. At this point, the cherries are soft and look like a jam.

Remove from the heat, let it cool and serve in small verrines, with some etorki cheese on top.

I can see that pesto is something quite popular in the US. The funny thing is that pesto being a “paste” originally from Genoa, in Liguria region…my parents being from Marche region, pesto is something that has never been part of my childhood. My mom’s cuisine was quite regional and I never had pesto while I was growing up. She made lots of different kinds of pasta dishes, risotto, seafood, but mainly specialties from their region. In France like in Italy people tend to stay regional in their eating habits.

Traditional pesto is great but I wanted to explore some other ingredients such as bell peppers. It’s quick, simple and most of all so flavorful.

Ingredients

• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 4 tbs olive oil
• 40 g pine nuts
• 15 g walnuts, chopped
• One handful basil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 60 g parmigiano reggiano, grated
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Roast the peppers in the oven using the broiler. When the peppers are well roasted on all sides. Remove, let it cool. Remove the peel and the seeds and cut in small pieces.

Wash basil and pat dry.

In a blender, place all ingredients and blend to a nice smooth consistency but not too thin.

Place in a jar and keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.

I love those tiny oval oranges, that taste more like bitter orange (orange amere) than a regular orange since you can eat the peel, the bitterness comes from the peel so you get a stronger “orangy” flavor than regular oranges. They originally come from Malaysia or China and can be grown in pots but need to be protected from rough colds or very low freezing temperatures. They’re mainly used in jams, chutneys, or in sweet-bitter sauces, but also in pastries. I generally make pork tenderloin with them that turns out to be a quite flavorful and delicious dish served with a fennel/potato puree.

I had some leftover kumquats that I didn’t use in my pork tenderloin recipe this weekend and I was wondering what to make with those other than jam. Since most of the fruits are perfect for chutney, I thought kumquat chutney would be great to have with grilled meats, or to enhance any rice dish.

Ingredients for one jar

• 20 kumquats or 200 g
• 1 red onion
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbs of fresh grated ginger
• 4 tbs brown sugar
• 2 tbs raspberry vinegar
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 star anise
• 3 pinches cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Cut the kumquat in small pieces. Chop the onions, crush the garlic, and grate the ginger.

In a pot, add olive oil and brown the onions until cooked and translucent, for about 15 min at medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook for another 5 min. Add sugar and stir for one minute or so. Then add kumquats and all other ingredients. Stir and cook until the liquid evaporated and the mixture thickens. Let it cool, put in a jar and refrigerate. This chutney can last for about one month in the refrigerator.