"Baby!" Jack shouted. "I made my very first batter!"
And oh, how he did.
His batter was extremely successful, but he was getting frustrated on the "thickness" of the crepes. As the batter lover that I am, I tried to give him tips on how to spread the batter properly by tilting the pan to swirl the batter in order to coat the bottom to get the right thickness (or thin-ness) of crepe, but Jack got mad at me.
"Stop it!" he'd shout. "I am teaching myself!"
There was a lot of shouting going on.
Jack has kept up on his quest to cook through the Le Cordon Bleu at Home, and this dish of Smoked Salmon Crepes may be the best thing he has made yet. Smoked salmon is wrapped in a blanket of light crepes and topped with creme fraiche (Jack's favorite thing to make/eat) and baked to perfection.
Jack struggled a bit with flipping the crepe over in the saute pan, so, remembering his reaction to my previous attempt to help him, I nervously grabbed the pan and flicked my wrist to flip the crepe in the air. The crepe glided through the air like a professional olympic diver and slowly flipped onto its backside as it landed perfectly in the pan. I paused, expecting him to be upset for trying to steal his thunder.
Instead, he ran around the kitchen like a 10 year old, shouting, "I can't believe you know how to do that! That is amazing!"
Back to the good shouting.
According to the book, these crepes are a "French variation on a Baltic theme: blini with caviar and sour cream." What we both love about this book, and French cooking in general, is that the food actually tastes like what it is. This dish is elegant yet comforting and will surely be something that we make again and again. It was, in a word, outstanding.
Just like my Jack. I definitely have got a winner on my hands - in this dish and my boyfriend.
Click here for the recipe or check page 22 in Le Cordon Bleu at Home for more specific directions, and definitely make this one. Or call me and I'll send Jack over to whip them up. He'd appreciate it, I'm sure.
Wow..that's a first for me. Salmon and crepes. Look great. Very elegant in presetation.
I must add that book to my collection.
Posted by: jenn | June 24, 2009 at 03:36 AM
Hahaha - good shouting - I hadn't realized you could have that in the kitchen. Have I mentioned that I'm super jealous though? My bf cooks steak, yours makes salmon crepes... Wanna trade? ;)
Posted by: Caitlin | June 24, 2009 at 07:52 AM
These do look quite inviting.
I remember my first time making crepes. Sara went away to some awful family event in NY and left me at home. I made crepes and they were so good I couldn't stop making / eating them. I didn't follow any recipe, so I felt like a cooking god when they came out perfect (I think adding a little browned butter to the batter before cooking makes a huge difference in taste/not sticking to the pan).
I ended up so full that I had to freeze a bunch of them. Obv. I was overly optimistic, as they of course were terrible defrosted and the whole lot went right in the trash.
Posted by: nick | June 24, 2009 at 10:52 AM
Oh, Jack, you are the man! That looks absolutely perfect and delicious! Welcome to the addiction called French cooking! You will never be the same.
Posted by: Kayte | June 24, 2009 at 11:13 AM
You're one lucky girl to have a boyfriend that can make this!
Posted by: Eliana | June 24, 2009 at 11:29 AM
Perfect crepes! Smoked salmon filling sounds good, wish we had it with our savory crepes yesterday.
Posted by: Natasha - 5 Star Foodie | June 24, 2009 at 11:55 AM
Savory crepes top their sweet counterparts any day. Any day! This is fairly reminiscent of the ones on the streets of Paris...!
Posted by: The Duo Dishes | June 24, 2009 at 12:44 PM
Such a cute post - it does sound like you have a winner - in both the recipe and your boyfriend! I think I am going to look for a copy of that book, too.
Posted by: Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction | June 24, 2009 at 12:55 PM
It's so cool that you can flip a crepe.
Posted by: Wendy | June 24, 2009 at 12:57 PM
That looks so delicious! I love smoked salmon anyway, but this really looks like a perfect crepe.
Posted by: lisaiscooking | June 24, 2009 at 01:03 PM
That's a great story and funny and way to go, Jack!
Posted by: Katrina | June 24, 2009 at 01:45 PM
Well done, Jack! It sounds as though you are tackling those recipes with gusto. This looks delicious and what a fun post!
Posted by: Cookin' Canuck | June 24, 2009 at 03:48 PM
This sounds like what goes on when my husband attempts to cook something and how I try to intervene. :)
Posted by: Candy | June 24, 2009 at 04:46 PM
Beautiful crepes! I need to learn that crepe flipping skill too. ;)
Posted by: Ashley | June 24, 2009 at 05:27 PM
oh my God. I LOVE crepes. One of my fav crepes I had were with smoked salmon and pistachio cheese. Awesome.
I tried making crepe at home, but failed miserably...I didn't have the right pan!
Posted by: Sophia | June 24, 2009 at 10:31 PM
Those look incredible. I wish I could cook as well as Jack
Posted by: Steph | June 24, 2009 at 11:03 PM
These crepes sound so good!
Posted by: Kevin | June 27, 2009 at 02:15 PM
I'm glad to be of your space. The pictures are good-looking, and writing is very good!
Posted by: Rerto Jordans | June 19, 2010 at 09:22 PM
I remember my first time making crepes. Sara went away to some awful family event in NY and left me at home.
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