#Peaches and Cream Crêpe recipe

[askwhatsforlunch]

Peaches and Cream Crêpe

And Candlemas is here, closing the Festive Season with a simple but nonetheless delectable feast of crêpes! At least, that is how we celebrate la Chandeleur in France. And after taking the last of the Christmas lights under the porch this morning --past this date it is bad luck to keep them longer!-- something like an indulgent Peaches and Cream Crêpe is just what I fancy!

Ingredients (serves 1):

a Peach in Syrup halve

1/4 cup double cream

1 tablespoon of the Peach Syrup 

1 teaspoon good quality Cognac or Brandy

a Crêpe

a teaspoon caster sugar

Dice the Peach in Syrup halve. Set aside.

In a small bowl, energetically whisk the double cream until soft peaks form. Gradually whisk in Peach Syrup and Cognac until just a bit stiffer. Set aside.

Heat a large, flat frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the Crêpe, and cook 1 minute, until just warm on both sides. Sprinkle with caster sugar.

Remove from the heat, and place the Crêpe onto serving plate. Spoon most of the Cognac whipped cream onto one half of the Crêpe, and top with Peach in Syrup dices, saving a few, and fold in half. Fold once more, and top with remaining whipped cream and Peach in Syrup dices.

Enjoy Peaches and Cream Crêpe immediately with a glass of well-chilled Cider!

[freethinkingmom-blog]

The kids have finished their school year so my job over the next three months’ will be to keep them ‘engaged’ in the form of various activities including camp, outdoor fun, play dates and arts/ crafts. Another pastime we’ll be enjoying together is cooking. Here are my favorite things/ recipes to make with my kids:

Pancakes

This is the quickest recipe to prepare and cook of all. From Wholefoods, I buy this Pancake/ Waffle mix and to it, we add some canola oil, egg, milk and sugar then whisk to form a batter. My kids like adding chocolate chips or fresh blueberries. My Le Creuset crêpe pan cooks three small pancakes at a time; I simply lightly oil spray the skillet when it’s medium hot and then ladle in the batter. Once bubbles start appearing at surface, I flip them over using this OXO turning utensil. Serve with a sieve dusting of powdered/ icing sugar, a drizzle of maple syrup and fresh strawberries (optional: whipped cream/ butter).

Mini M&M Cookies

Cookies are super quick to make and bake; recipes usually don’t require flour to be sifted (unlike cakes) which means less time and mess! To make these cute, mini M&M cookies, we followed this recipe. Kids enjoy rolling the dough balls and pressing extra mini M&Ms onto them before cooking. These cookies can either be soft or firm depending on how long you bake them for. Usually I press some M&Ms on top of the cookies as they come out of the oven – this is because M&Ms crack during the cooking process. Although I prefer mini M&M’s (bought in large bag from Target), you can use regular size M&Ms and/ or chocolate chips.

Balls of cookie dough

Soft baked with M&M pressed in after cooking

Firm baked

Cupcakes

Cupcakes are also lots of fun to make; we use a basic sponge batter recipe (equal parts butter, sugar, flour). To make things more interesting, you can add sprinkles, chocolate chips, blueberries, bananas, apples, peaches etc to the cake mix. Using natural or artificial colors and a toothpick, you can make marble/ rainbow colored swirls too. Personally, I tend to skip the icing/ frosting due to high fat/ sugar content but decorating the cupcakes with sprinkles for example can be great fun for the kids.

Pizza

Homemade pepperoni pizza

Back in London, I had a fabulous Panasonic bread making machine that also used to make fresh pizza dough. Now I buy frozen pizza dough (regular, wholemeal, gluten-free versions available) which is widely available in supermarkets. Many places also sell fresh/ frozen pizza bases too. Failing these options, breads such as pitta, naan and tortilla would make perfectly adequate pizza bases. Either make a single large pizza on baking sheet (as shown)/ pizza pan or smaller, individual pizzas. Kids love stretching the dough, dolloping on pasta tomato sauce and then spreading it out using the back of a spoon or silicon brush. For the cheese, I buy fresh mozzarella either as a ball or ready-grated. Kids can add their own, individual toppings – mine prefer pepperoni slices which you can get from deli counter (not too thinly sliced else they may crisp up too quickly) or pre-sliced in packets. For seasoning, we like to sprinkle a little oregano over followed by some basil leaves once cooked. Note: I don’t add salt as shop-bought sauces and cured meats both contain salt – and possibly the dough too. For a crispy base, I tend to cook the pizza in an oven at 400 deg F.

Tips

Be organised! Get out the ingredients and equipment before inviting kids to kitchen.

Safety first! Keep sharp items away from kids and ensure they know to keep away from oven.

Encourage kids to first wash hands with soap and wear apron. Practice good hygiene by telling kids to cough or sneeze away from food!

Ensure each kid has a stable stool and their own workspace. Give them their own jobs or let them take turns mixing etc.

Kids love to crack open eggs but unless you want to risk eating eggshells, crack into a separate bowl first before adding to the main mix.

Kids love to wash up afterwards; give them a warm bowl of soapy water full of bubbles and you’ll be surprised how clean they can wash things.

Keep realistic expectations – to avoid getting impatient or annoyed, just accept that probably there will be plenty of mess to tidy up afterwards and the kids will be bored within 10 minutes of starting!

Cooking With Kids The kids have finished their school year so my job over the next three months' will be to keep them 'engaged' in the form of various activities including camp, outdoor fun, play dates and arts/ crafts.