Crepes, Galettes, and Madeleines + Sophie Perinot

I don’t know about you all, but I could use  a vat of café au lait and some sweet Frenchie goodness to carry me through to the weekend. So dig in to the array of simple recettes delicieuses below. Try one or two, or try them ALL et bon appétit! By the way, stop by next Wednesday, March 7th for a guest post by Sophie Perinot authoress of the newly released historical novel THE SISTER QUEENS.

 

GALETTES 

2 lbs dark brown sugar      1 lb butter   7 eggs     1 TB vanilla   6 1/2 c flour

Directions
In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar and butter until smooth and creamy; then add eggs and vanilla, and beat well. Gradually stir in flour. Set bowl over a hot water bath, and stir to blend ingredients. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.  Preheat the galette iron, or small waffle iron with shallow divets.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls, and place in the iron. Close the iron, and cook the cookies. This should take about 30 seconds in an electric iron, or 2 to 4 minutes in a handheld iron over a medium flame. Carefully remove cookies and cool on wire racks.

**These are buttery and delicious and go well with tea or coffee.

CREPES 

1 c flour   2 eggs   1/2 c milk   1/2 c water   1/4 ts salt   2 TB butter, melted

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan(I use a crepe maker) over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.  Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

**My favorite dessert crêpes are stuffed with bananas & nutella or strawberries & powdered sugar. I also dig them with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of Grand Marnier. For dinner  crêpes, I love them stuffed with spinach, wild mushrooms, and béchamel sauce.

MADELEINES

2 eggs  1/2 ts vanilla   1/2 ts lemon zest   1 c confectioners’ sugar     3/4 c flour
1/4 ts baking powder    1/2 c butter, melted and cooled

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour twenty-four 3-inch Madeleine molds.
In a medium bowl beat eggs, vanilla and lemon zest with an electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Beat for 5 to 7 minutes or until thick and satiny.

Sift together the flour and baking powder. Sift one-fourth of the flour mixture over the egg mixture, gently fold in. Fold in the remaining flour by fourths. Then fold in the melted and cooled butter. Spoon batter into the prepared molds, filling 3/4 full.

Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are golden and the top s spring back. Cool in molds on a rack for 1 minute. Loosen cookies with a knife. Invert cookies onto a rack and cool. Sift confectioners’ sugar over the tops or melt semi-sweet chocolate chips and dip the tips in the chocolate. Store in an airtight container.

**Another buttery treat made divine with a cup of tea.

 

*recipes from Allrecipes.com