Food Makes Me Happy

Jan 13, 2025

Simple Crêpes with Maple Syrup and Blueberries

For first timers, I highly recommend using non-stick pan and perhaps wear some type of thin but heat resistant gloves when making crêpes. It'll make sure the batter won't stick onto the pan. Also you'll find it much easier flipping the crêpes with your hands instead of using a spatula.

Simple crêpes with maple syrup and blueberries -

Ingredients (about 7 to 9 medium large sized crêpes)?

3 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups whole milk
1 cup drinkable water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Small pinch salt
Some powdered sugar
Some maple syrup or honey
Some fresh berries (optional)

How?

Melt the butter or wait till it softened naturally in room temperature. Aim for melted but not hot butter.

Once butter reaches desired consistency and temperature, transfer the butter to a big mixing bowl. Break and beat 3 eggs in a separate bowl then add to the butter. Also add 1 1/3 cups of milk, 1 cup of room temperature water, and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix till blended.

Don't worry about the consistency of the batter yet. The batter might look lumpy here and there but once adding in the dry ingredients it'll look way better.

So sift in the flour along with small pinch of salt. Whisk till evenly blended. The batter should look quite smooth now and almost as liquidy as heavy cream. You can adjust by adding more milk or flour if needed.

Bring out a non-stick pan and turn to medium heat. Once the pan turns warm, use a ladle and scoop some batter to the pan. Quickly swirl the pan to even out the batter before the bottom starts to set. You might have to remove the pan from heat while doing it.

By the way, there's no need to butter the pan since we added melted butter to the batter, and preferably using a non-stick pan here especially for first timers.

It'll only take about 45 seconds or so, flip the crêpe to the other side and cook for another 40 to 45 seconds. You'll know it's time to flip when the crêpe can be picked up without breaking apart. After a first couple tries you'll get braver and start to cook the batter longer, perhaps even till the center starts to turn slightly golden.

I prefer to work with my hands with gloves. It's much easier to pick up the crêpe and flip it compared to using any type of spatula. When the crêpe is ready, simply move it to a big plate and continue with the next one.

Repeat the steps for the remaining batter. Just stack up cooked crêpes on top of one another, they won't stick so don't worry. In fact, the heat will help the crêpes to keep a bit moisture instead of drying up.

To serve the crêpes, I fold each crêpe in half, then in half again to get triangles. But of course you can roll or fold them into other shapes.

I chose to drizzle some maple syrup then dust with powdered sugar, and served with fresh blueberries. It's more like a refreshing way to enjoy the crêpes.

However before folding, I think spreading nutella all over one side of the crêpe then roll it up sounds super delicious. Especially once you level up with powdered sugar and fresh strawberries.

These are two ideas for sweet crêpes, but I think I'll try something savory next time. If you got any great flavor combo for savory crêpes, don't be shy, just leave a comment and let me know. I'll be much appreciated.

Jan 7, 2025

Steak with Japanese Grated Onion Sauce 香煎牛排佐和風洋蔥醬

The photos don't do it justice showing how delicious the steak and grated onion sauce combo can be. So please don't let the darkened sauce all over fool you, that brownish color actually holds the key to flavors. That means I've cooked the grated onion enough, fully brought out the sweetness from the onion, also fully bound the ingredients with seasonings.

Steak with Japanese grated onion sauce 香煎牛排佐和風洋蔥醬 -

Ingredients?

1 medium thickness steak
1 onion (I used white onion)
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Small bundle cilantro
2 tablespoons ponzu sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
Some salt
Some black pepper

How?

Let the steak rest under room temperature for at least 10 minutes. Salt and pepper on both sides.

Salt and pepper on both sides of the rested steak

Chop the cilantro. Peel and grate half of the onion, set aside for later use.

Have a bowl ready and in there add one peeled and grated garlic, 2 tablespoons of ponzu sauce, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of honey. Mix till blended.

Have a pan ready, for steak I would say preferably stainless steel or cast iron. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oile and add in 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Switch to medium to medium high heat and wait till the butter nearly all melted.

Transfer the steak over. Don't move it around at first, just wait till the bottom gets a good sear. Meanwhile you can tilt the pan and baste the top with melted butter. Anyways, just prepare a steak like what you'd normally do.

Once the steak is ready and reaches your desired doneness, remove to a cutting board and let the steak rest for 5 to 10 minutes. After that, slice and transfer to serving plate.

Still using the same pan with residual oil, now switch to medium heat. Add in grated onion and cook till slightly darkened.

Pour in the sauce mixture. Stir and cook till the sauce has been reduced a bit, the color will darken even more. Pour that sauce all over sliced steak and garnish with chopped cilantro.

I used stainless steel pan this time. However, if you've been visiting my blog then you'll know that I often use non-stick pan instead. First of all, different pan works better for certain dishes, so I usually use either stainless steel or cast iron when cooking steak.

Then let's talk about non-stick cookware. There are some voices regarding the dangers of non-stick pan. Especially when use in very high heat or the surface got scratches, some toxic can be released as a result.

However, the non-stick cookware are so easy to work with, easy cleaning too, so such material is still favored by many people, I myself as one. My point is you have to know what you're dealing with, making sure to use the right utensils like a wooden spatula when handling it, then you can enjoy the goods of non-stick cookware without any health hazards.

As a result, I'm not against non-stick cookware at all, just the person who uses it have to know how to handle the cookware correctly. And be "generous" to toss the scratched non-stick cookware away. Don't be like one or two scratches are ok, strictly follow the rules then you can be worry-free to use whatever works the best for you in the kitchen.

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