...now for something Apples, Cinnamon and Texas Pecans

Last night...we were BAD! I knew we were designating ourselves into an evening of ...I want something but I don't know what!
Surely you have had those evenings when you've had a light supper or no supper at all and weakening to your evil side...something sweet. Well, in a mild effort to stay away from dairy this late into the evening I found apples. You know the ones you had all the intention of eating one a day...but they never find themselves in your bag to take to work...I forgot them.

8 very small apples, peeled and cored, sliced
3 pats, unsalted sweet butter

So, with a bag of the forgotten apples I started peeling them...eight very small ones, smaller than my fist. Cut in half and cored. Sliced roughly, imperfectly old apples.
Melt three pats of butter in a cast iron skillet on medium heat and toss the apple slices in. Stir till all coated with the melted butter. You should smell warm butter and apples. Let them cook, allow the butter to brown them a little is fine.

Add 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon cloves
1/3 cup packed dark brown Cane Sugar.
Stir in well to blend.

Take a hand full of  Texas pecan halves and roughly chop them, uneven is fine. They give nice texture and flavor, you don't want pecan meal.

Add the pecans to the apples and stir coating the pecans and mixing very well. Do not worry if the apples become dark brown, if you use a cast iron skillet this is normal for fruit and certain vegetables to react with the pan. During cooking the apples will sweat the moisture out and mingle with everything in the pan and release as steam, evaporate, so you can turn the heat off once the apples are softened or firm to your liking and should be a syrupy pecan and apple mixture. About 20 minutes medium heat cooking time total.

Now that we satisfied part of our thoughts...grab a fork!? No, not yet. I didn't mention something, something most people find difficult and avoid....crepes. I have heard many people say they love pancakes and make them all the time...so crepes are the SAME! The more times you make them the better you will become as it will be as easy a boiling an egg. I had to learn myself, and sometimes I have been rusty, but it comes back after I pour a few, it always does.

Crepes:

2 eggs, wisked in a bowl

1/2 milk, evaporated or 2%

1/2 cup flour, all purpose, no need to get fancy or crazy

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon pure cane sugar (omit if making savory crepes)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all in order given. Set aside.

Pan:

This is the part that takes practice. If you use different pans, you won't maintain the memory of the experience and the relationship of the heat and all that cooking joy of making crepes. So, you need to choose a pan you will dedicate in using for crepes. It should be a smooth surface pan, it is sometimes called a omelet pan. You need it to be a thin skillet style with a long handle. Comfortable to hold with one hand, I use my left, not a heavy pan or a hateful pan. Happy pans only and a good wide spatula that you love. Use loving tools transfers the cooks joy and love to the method of crepes. Stop eating pancakes and crepes in restaurants because you can do better! Trust me. 

Use a front large burner, electric or gas, just use the front one. Place the pan handle to your left. I am a weakest with my left arm and this works. What ever you have been taught, disregard and use these steps:

1. Place cold pan on burner. Brush or spray a extra virgin olive oil bottom and sides of pan. Set heat to medium high to start. Place your hand above the pan center about two inches. Feel the heat of the pan. If you can count to five, and notice the heat to hot for your hand to remain, it's ready.
2. Add a thin pat of unsalted sweet butter. It should move and melt quickly. Your pan is too hot if it spatters or smokes and you must remove it from the heat to cool for a moment before continuing.
3. Give your batter a whisk and with a ladle full pour quickly in the center of the hot pan and free your hand of the ladle.
4. Left hand grab the pan handle, lift from burner and tilt the pan. Lowering, nearest to your left side of your body, and lifting the pan edge furthest away from your body. Then watch the batter in the pan. The batters action will be starting in the center like a pancake round, fluid batter will move with your actions of the pan. It will flow to 9:00 o'clock, travel to 6:00 o'clock and 3:00 o'clock flowing in the pan with your tilting till it returns to a round puddle back at 9:00 o'clock, counter-clock-wise.
5. Set the pan back on the burner so it can cook. It will remain thin and pale.
6. As soon as the edges become a brown and the center of the batter has a skin or firms, about 2 minutes. It will be ready to flip, don't use the bubble method, that will over cook crepes.
7. First shake the pan to make sure it is loose to flip. If it isn't loose, pry with spatula around the edges first before trying to flip over. Flip and return to heat for another 2 minutes.

The appearance is secondary, lacy patterns of golden or dark brown. After the 2 minutes tip onto awaiting plate lined with wax paper.

Before second one, test again and repeat with a little less butter only if necessary. No more oil and very little butter if any for the second one. Over use of butter will not allow the batter to roll and move in the counter-clock pattern and causes spidery legs to form as you tilt. Batter should be allowed to heat stick as it is tilted.

Large and small ones may happen to form as you use up the batter and your heat varies. More patterns will happen depending on the timing of the flips and sometimes things happen like thicker ones and thinner ones. I get 7-8 crepes per batch. Plenty for a midnight snack or quick crepe for holding left overs. Leftover crepes never happen, we eat them all up every time.

My, my, MY!! 

~ ~ ~ The smile that crepes brings! ~ ~ ~

Jam smeared and then rolled the easiest

Chicken salad or tuna smeared and rolled with a drizzle of dressing, exciting

Sliced fresh bananas, sprinkled with brown sugar and rolled for an adventure

Blueberries, strawberries and whipped cream and rolled for a crowd

Peaches and granola and cream and rolled for breakfast coziness

Chinese leftovers and rolled for something different

Apples, cinnamon placed inside and rolled, sprinkled with a teaspoon of powdered sugar!

Your imagination is endless as your fun in making crepes expands in each time you make some.

~ ~ ~ Now make some your self! ~ ~ ~