crepes a la Julia Child

My parents gave me Julia Child's cookbook for Christmas, but I haven't done much with it yet, save for drooling over some recipes. I did, however, have some success with the one thing I have successfully cooked, and I have been feeling as though I needed more JC in my life--et voila! I had a hankering for crepes this weekend, and although I have recently made them successfully and felt pleased with the results, I figured it could always be done better! Plus, I had some rhubarb compote (with balsamic vinegar) to use up, so I figured it would be a perfect way to start my Saturday.

Her recipe was much too large for me on my lonesome, so I cut it in half, and it made the perfect amount of batter. 1/2 batch:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup flour

2 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp melted butter

I can't stress how easy this is. Basically, you put everything in a blender or food processor, blend the shit out of it for about a minute, and let it chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. (I was too impatient to wait that long, I rationalized that for 1/2 batch, I could let it sit for an hour and it would be ok.)

Don't beat yourself up if the first crepe doesn't turn out perfectly--as Julia says in her cookbook, this first attempt is more of a dry run to be sure you are using the correct amount of oil and also to check the temperature you are cooking at.

rhubarb, rhubarb, and more rhubarb

I bought a ridiculous amount of rhubarb at the farmer's market this week. I can't help it--I love the stuff. I intended to make a pie, but also to make rhubarb compote with various added herbs or spices to test some combinations. I ended up needing more of it for the pie than I thought, so I didn't experiment with it as much as I had wanted to, but I have a whole summer of rhubarb ahead of me to look forward to!One thing I am pretty confident about when it comes to my kitchen prowess, is baking pies. My dad taught me to make great pie crusts, and the rest is really a no-brainer if you have any kitchen experience at all. I know some people like to mix in other fruits with their rhubarb pies, but I am a purist--I like it on its own. Don't get me started on strawberry/rhubarb. I do not like the texture of strawberries that have been cooked like that.

To make a good pie crust from scratch, it is important to be aware that the temperature of your ingredients is key. You will need:

approximately 1 cup of ice water

2/3 cup butter, chilled, but not hard

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups flour

Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter and salt into the flour. It should be pretty well mixed--no large, visible chunks of butter or tons of flour that hasn't met with at least a bit of butter.

Next, add ice water a few tablespoonfulls at a time, continuing to "cut" the mixture with the pastry cutter.

Using this tool helps the pastry dough to remain flaky. When the dough reaches the proper consistency, mold it into a ball, and either divide it in two to roll out and bake your pie with, or refrigerate for later.