Monday, March 1, 2010

A New Way to Wake up Sunnyside-Up

This past Friday, I had a nice brunch.
I almost always make dinner, so I thought it was about time to change things up.

I ended up making one of my favorite breakfast dishes. The thing that I really love about this recipe is that I created this from random ingredients I found in my friend's fridge one morning. Never underestimate your ability to make something out of nothing--or something out of random.

Les Crêpes avec un œuf, les tomates, basilic, et brie.
Crêpes with an egg, tomato, basil, and brie.

This recipe was inspired by a Tunisian Crêpe my friend once made me. (But it had tuna, harissa, and egg)...

I also made some simple nutella and blackberry crêpes.

Crêpes (10-14)

Ingredients:

BATTER:
-1 cup flour
-1 1/2 cup milk
-1 egg
-a pinch of salt


THE REST
-5 eggs
-
a few sprigs of basil
-some brie (or any other cheese you want. I love Brie)
- 10-15 cherry tomatoes (estimate
between 2-3 per crêpe)
-some cumin (pepper also works very well)
-nutella
-blackberries

  • Mix the flour and milk until completely incorporated. (TIP: try to have as few "lumps" of flour in the mixture as possible. If you can/have the time, try letting the batter sit in the fridge for an hour or so, and then mix it up again.)
  • Add the egg and salt and mix together. (Use a fork or whisk for this. It will be the most effective)
  • Heat up the pan BEFORE you pour the batter on. Put a small piece of butter to grease the pan. I recommend using medium-high flame on your stove until the pan's hot, and then lower it to medium. (REMEMBER: every stove-top is different. i.e. electric vs. gas. You might have to do a little self-discovery to find the perfect temp)
  • Pour a small circle of batter onto the hot, greased pan. Then by moving the pan in circles (SEE PICTURES), allow the batter to spread as thin as possible. Even if you have a perfect circle but extra batter on top, use a spatula to spread the batter to the outside (and you have an even bigger crêpe!)
Allow to cook

For simple cr
êpes on their own: Allow to cook until each side is golden brown (whether or not you like crispy crêpes is your choice). Normally only a few minutes per side.












I added nutella and blackberries. But you can do whatever you like... (butter and sugar, bananas, jam, lemon, nutella, peanut butter, honey... the possibilities are truly endless)









Now for the other egg, tomato, basil, and brie crêpes, this is how you prepare:

  • Cut the tomatoes length-wise (it's easier to place on the crêpe). Cut small slivers of brie as well as strips of basil.
  • Cook the first side of the crêpe until it is lightly golden or brown in some spots. Flip it over so the cooked side is facing up.
  • (TIP: MAKE SURE YOU DON'T DO THIS ON A HIGH HEAT SETTING. IT WILL BURN THE CREPE BEFORE THE EGG COOKS) Crack an egg on it (no shells, please) and then place the tomatoes, brie, and basil on it. Place them wherever you want. I recommend attempting to place them far apart. (pictures below)
  • Then sprinkle some cumin, or pepper, on top. Let it cook until the egg looks ready. (7ish minutes) For runnier eggs, be aware that there is a thin film on top of the egg when it's done cooking. This is natural. Don't worry.

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Well it was indeed an amazingly delicious breakfast. In any event, I hope you make this recipe as I consider it one of my babies. It's really delicious and surprisingly easy to make. (Believe me... it sounds a lot harder than it actually is... UNLESS you have a crepe pan... then it's EVEN easier!)
And for the budget side of things: my grocery reciept for this 6 person meal was $24.36. That would be approx. $4 per person. Not too shabby if you ask me...

This has been a particularly hard week for most people I know. Amidst papers, homework, reading, midterms, and housing, you should keep yourself healthy. Mentally and physically. I won't call it the key to your success (that's up to you to find), but I will say it will help significantly. I hope all is well. And please, Live Well. Eat Well.

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