Just Throw a Bunch of Crêpe Into It

Megan Bushlow  

If you can make a pancake, you can make a crêpe. And I love pancakes, but I also love eating every kind of chocolate that I can imagine mushed together inside a sweet, thin blanket of crêpe. (I also enjoy saying crêpe in a bunch of different funny pronunciations: crap, crop, crep, crayp?) Crêpes are great because you can literally put anything inside of them, but my personal preference is to stick to the sweet stuff. If you want to put meat into it, you might as well just make a burrito.

The process for making crêpes is very similar to that for pancakes. To make the batter, mix together a cup of flour, two eggs, a tablespoon of melted butter, half a cup of water, and half a cup of milk in a bowl. If you are feeling super hungry, double the recipe. Prepare a pan with melted butter or cooking oil over low heat. Scoop up a glop of the batter and put it on the pan, or just pour a small amount on. This is the point at which a key difference between pancakes and crêpes arises. You will need to work quickly! As soon as you put the batter onto the pan, tilt the pan in every direction so that the batter spreads out to your desired size and thickness. If you are not quick enough, the batter will not spread as well, and your crêpe will be more like a pancake. Wait for the crêpe to cook on one side, then flip. Remove when it has finished cooking, and get ready to add in some goodies!

The most important part of crêpe making is choosing what goes inside. Nutella is definitely a staple. Do not make crêpes without including this delicious chocolate spread! Slathering some nutella onto your crêpe and adding on some sliced up strawberries and bananas will make for a pretty solid crêpe. I like to mix it up by adding peanut butter to the nutella. Last time I made crêpes, I put in ice cream (chocolate moose tracks), whipped cream, and chocolate chips. You could also try your crêpes with icing, chocolate syrup, sprinkles, fluff, candy… anything! I also tried mixing in melted fudge to the batter before cooking the crêpes, so each wrap had a hint of chocolate taste within.

To complete the process, you must decide how to close your masterpiece. For years, there have been raging debates concerning the best way to fold this wonderful flabby food. As no final conclusion has been reached, I say to just choose what works best for you. (The method you choose will probably also depend on the size of your crêpe’s contents.) The triangle method involves folding over the corners so that the crêpe forms a triangle. You can also fold it just as you would a burrito. Once it’s folded, enjoy! Knives and forks may be used but are not encouraged. The same goes for napkins.

The ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup milk

To make the think pancake:
Mix together these ingredients in a bowl to create the batter. Heat a pan over low heat. Pour a small amount of batter onto the pan and spread over the pan. Flip when one side is slightly browned to your liking. Repeat steps for remaining batter.

Vegan Almond Quinoa Bread

Christina Chen  

Makes one 9x9 pan of bread

Ingredients

• ½ cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup flour (or whole wheat flour)
• ⅓ stevia-sugar blend (or 2/3 sugar)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup almonds
• ¾ cup almond milk (or soy/coconut)
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract
• ½ cup coconut flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F degrees. Lightly grease a 9x9 baking pan.
2. In a small saucepan, combine quinoa with water and bring to a boil. Cover, then turn heat down to a simmer. Continue to cook until grains are translucent (about 10-15 minutes). Set aside to cool.
3. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Set aside.
4. Using a blender, create an almond paste by blending the almonds with a little bit of water. Add water as needed.
5. In another bowl, whisk together the almond paste, almond milk, vanilla extract and almond extract.
6. Add quinoa to the wet ingredients and mix.
7. Fold wet ingredients with the dry until combined, then add coconut flakes if desired.
8. Spread the batter evenly in the baking pan with a spatula or wooden spoon.
9. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

A Simply Sweet African Treat

Abby Miller  

One of the many wonderful things about the University of Michigan is the wide range of cultures that thrive throughout the student population. With each comes a plethora of unique traditions: wardrobes, holidays, and most importantly, food. One of my good friends is from South Africa, and thanks to her I have tasted a multitude of incredible new flavors. One of my personal favorites is a dessert called a “Koeksuster” or “Cook Sister”. This is a South African dessert that is often sold at flea markets, a syrup-coated doughnut with a twisted or braided shape. The doughnuts are prepared by deep-frying dough in oil and then dipping it into cold sugar syrup. Here’s how to make them:

Ingredients

Dough:	Syrup:
2 cups cake flour	1 kg sugar
1/2 tsp. salt	1 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp. baking powder	1/2 tsp. ground ginger
4 tbsp. butter	2 cinnamon sticks
1 egg	Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup water
Oil for frying

Preparation:

Syrup:
Do this the night before preparing the dough, as you want the syrup to be super cold

1. Dissolve sugar in water
2. Add spices and lemon juice and bring to a boil. If desired, mix in a teaspoon or two of cream of tarter instead of lemon juice
3. Put syrup in fridge over night to cool

Dough:

1. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder
2. Rub in butter and mix until pliable
3. Add egg and water (a little at a time), knead well
4. Leave dough to rest at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours under the inverted mixing bowl

Making the Koeksusters:

1. Roll out dough to about 5 mm thickness
2. Cut into strips 5 cm long and 2 cm wide
3. Cut each strip into 3 shreds (do not cut through top) and braid the pieces together. Pinch dough together at bottom
4. Deep fry dough until golden brown. Remove and drain quickly
5. Dip dough into cold syrup. Keeping the syrup cold and the dough hot is key for getting the right amount of syrup drawn into the Koeksusters

Home Away From Home-In a Pudding

Bianka Kristen  

As the weather becomes chillier and fingers begin to freeze, a warm dessert is exactly what I need. Better yet is a dessert that is a family tradition, passed down through the generations from my great-grandmother to me. My go-to dessert in these crisp fall months is “Malva Poeding”— a warm pudding that makes me feel cozy from the inside out.

Ingredients for the pudding:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon apricot jam
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1/3 cup milk

Ingredients for the sauce:

• 3/4 cup cream
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup hot water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence

For pudding:

1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease an oven dish.
2. Beat sugar and eggs together until thick. Mix in apricot jam.
3. Melt butter and add both butter and vinegar to mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, soda and salt.
5. Combine dry and wet ingredients and add milk. Beat well.
6. Pour into greased dish and bake for 30-45 minutes, until pudding is brown and well risen.

For sauce:

1. In a pot, melt together ingredients and stir well.
2. Once pudding is done baking, pour sauce over. Serve warm and enjoy!