Some people call this gâteau, it’s more like a flan to me than a cake, no matter how you call it, this is a very traditional French dessert. It took me a while to find coarse semolina and even thought of bringing it back from France at some point. But I figured, since you can find anything in San Francisco, with a little effort, I knew it would be out there. So this was another find at Samiramis, the Middle Eastern store. Semolina based desserts being common in Middle Eastern countries, here it was among other grains and cereals.

Flan de semoule is a very simple dessert, yet quite delicious. It does not have the consistency of a flan, it’s thicker and more dense because of the semolina, but the flavor reminds me of a flan. You can also add raisins and flavor it with rum for a little twist.

As for the caramel, it’s very easy to make, you need the right pan…when I use certain non-stick pan, my caramel crystallizes. It took me a while to figure that out. First, I thought it was my stove, then I was convinced it was the sugar…but no it was the pan material. So if your sugar doesn’t melt and crystallizes, before throwing away pounds of sugar, try out changing your pan, it might just be the trick!

Ingredients for 3-4 flans (depending on the size of the ramequins)

For the flans

• 1 pint (or 500 ml) milk
• 2.10 oz (or 60 g) coarse semolina
• 2.45 oz (or 70 g) sugar
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the caramel

• 5.30 oz (or 150 g) sugar

Preparation

Heat milk in a pot with vanilla bean (cut lengthwise, beans scraped). When the milk starts boiling, add semolina and keep stirring so that the semolina doesn’t stick. Cook and stir for about 15 minutes. Remove from stove and add sugar and egg.

For the caramel, melt sugar in a pan at low heat until the sugar melts and turns golden brown.

Divide caramel in ramequins, then pour semolina mixture on top. Cook in a water bath at 360F for about 25 minutes.

Refrigerate and serve cold.

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.