Asparagus crepes

Asparagus Crepes

Crepes are a wonderfully versatile food that can be enjoyed for breakfast, dinner and even appetizer. Here is an asparagus crepes recipe that can be served as either an appetizer or coupled with soup for a light lunch.

Asparagus Crepes:
18 Small Crepes, about 2 inches in diameter (recipe below)
1 Bundle of tender young asparagus spears, or a package of frozen asparagus spears
5 oz Creamy cheese with herbs, such as brie with herbs
1 Tbs Butter
1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Break the ends off asparagus so the tips are about 3 inches long. Cook the asparagus tips in a skillet with the butter and olive oil until tender crisp.
Spread the softened room temperature cheese on each crepe. Place one asparagus spear on each crepe. Roll the crepes. Serve at room temperature.

To make the crepes:
1 Cup Flour
Cup Water
Cup Milk, whole or 2%
3 Eggs
2 Tbs Butter, melted and cooled
tsp Salt

Whisk the eggs until foamy then add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until smooth. Cool in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
Remove from the refrigerator and stir. The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream. If the batter is too thick stir in 1 tsp of water at a time. If the batter is too thin whisk in 1 Tbs of flour at a time.

Cook the crepes like pancakes in a small skillet or crepe pan. You may need to tilt the pan from side to side in order to spread the batter into a thin crepe. When the first side of the crepe has browned flip the crepe for just a couple seconds. Use the first crepe as a test; they are easy to make just practice a bit. Two tips when cooking crepes do not allow the skillet get too hot and separate the cooked crepes with a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper so they do not stick to one another. ***

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by Shauna Hanus
About the author: Shauna Hanus is a gourmet cook who has launched the Recipe of the Month Club. The Recipe of the Month Club is the perfect gift for all the people on your list who love to cook. With the Recipe of the Month Club you can give 3, 6 or 12 months of new and exciting gourmet recipes as a gift for Christmas, Hanukah or birthdays to all the cook-aholics in your life. Find out more at http://www.cookbookaddict.com

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Whisk your way to a perfect meal every time!

The whisk. A true versatile cooking utensil. Whisks come in all shapes and sizes and surprisingly accomplish far more then what most think they do. One of the dictionary definitions for a whisk is--A kitchen utensil usually in the form of stiff thin wire loops attached to a handle, used for whipping foodstuffs. We shall see that the whisks of today can do a lot more.

The whisk of today is made of many different materials. There are the traditional wire whisks and also many kinds of nylon whisks to. Sometimes called whips they are a great time saver. No matter what you are creating in your kitchen there is a style and design made for you. Let's take a look at the most common and useful designs. The nylon flat whisk is made to whip gravies and delicate sauces into shape. The flat design helps cooks get into corners and covers more surface area when whisking. Also good for lumps in flour. The traditional balloon whisk comes either in nylon or stainless steel. It is the essential tool for meringues and silky smooth sabayons. The larger the balloon head is the quicker air is mixed into sauces.

Some other useful whisks that are helpful in the kitchen include triangular whisks for getting along edges of pans and bowls and special ones for eggs and gravy. So no matter what your whisk needs are the right whisks can be found online at many fine stores. ***

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by Curtis Miller
About the author: Curtis Miller is an author and publisher of Kitchens-4u Your source for quality kitchen items.

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Italian Osso Bucco-Recipe

Osso Bucco
3 to 4 lbs veal shanks ( I serve one shank per person. If the cost is high you can cook down the meat and separate it from the bone.)

Cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbs olive oil
2 oz diced salt pork
Cup butter, melted
lb diced and peeled onions
1 large clove garlic, mashed
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 bay leaves, remove before serving
Cup dry white wine
2 Tbs finely chopped carrot
stalk celery minced
8 to 10 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped fine
1 Cup canned chopped tomatoes (I have used fresh tomatoes, but I find that the canned are constantly good in taste and the liquid is always welcomed in the sauce)

1 Tbs tomato paste

Cup warm water
Dredge the veal in flour and shake off any excess. Heat olive oil, salt pork and butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the onion and brown. When the onions are browned add the veal and garlic. Brown on all sides for about 8 to 10 minutes. Add, rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir and brown for about for about 10 minutes longer. Add bay leaves, wine, carrot, celery, parsley, and tomatoes. Stir tomato paste with the warm water until well blended and then add that to the mixture. Stir and simmer covered for about 40 minutes. ( I tend to let this simmer longer on my stove. This serves two purposes, one makes the meat extremely tender and two fills the house with wonderful aromas.)

Serve over Ravioli ( I use fresh over sized store bought ravioli. I have made my own, but I find that the store bought is good quality and much simpler. If you would like a recipe for homemade ravioli please send a request to recipes@gourmayeats.com ) ***

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by Shauna Hanus
About the author: Shauna Hanus is a gourmet cook who specializes in creating gourmet recipes. She has extensive experience cooking with easy to find grocery items to create delightful gourmet meals. She is also the publisher of a no cost bi-monthly gourmet newsletter. Her newsletter is always fun and informational packed with tips and trivia you can use everyday. http://www.gourmayeats.com