Saturday, November 12, 2011

Pumpkin Mille Crepe

I'm actually posting this for an online recipe challenge so I'll pretty much just repost what I submitted there.

And if you could vote for me that would be awesome too! You can vote ONCE A DAY until November 14th 12:00pm is when the contest ends! Yes it is super late, but I would still love the support! Recipe inspired by Zen can Cook.

http://everydaychefchallenge.com/everyday-recipes/pumpkin-mille-crepe/



Mille means “a thousand” in French.  Although it doesn’t have a thousand layers of crepes, it has quite a lot.  This is a time intensive dessert.  Yes, I am sorry.  But the results will definitely impress your family and friends and satisfy their taste buds!  The crepes are enhanced with almond flavor from the almond milk, almond extract, and amaretto.  I’ve made a mille crepe before, but I thought about putting a holiday twist on it by making a pumpkin pastry cream.  The pumpkin pastry cream is sweet but not too overpowering and gets a little kick from the nutmeg and cinnamon.  I topped it with toasted sliced almonds for crunch and to further enhance the crepes. The mille crepe is served cold and having layers of crepes is what makes it special and unique.
You don’t need to make the crepe cake part.  The crepes and the pastry cream are delicious on their own.  And you may have extra crepe batter and pastry cream.  You can make the crepes for breakfast and incorporate the pastry cream maybe in a tart or some cream puffs :D!

Dessert
Pumpkin Mille Crepe

Crepe batter:
1 cup all purpose flour, sifted
½ cup lukewarm water
3 Tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup Pacific Foods Almond Original Milk
4 Tbsp butter, melted*
4 eggs, room temperature
¼ tsp almond extract
1 Tbsp amaretto
Butter to oil the pan*

*can make dairy free by omitting the butter completely in the batter and using Pam to grease the pan

To make crepe batter:
1.      Dissolve sugar and salt in the lukewarm water.  Combine with everything but the flour. Whisk well.
2.      Put flour in a medium bowl. Slowly pour the liquid mixture into the flour whisking slowly and whisk until smooth.
3.      Chill in the fridge for at least an hour. While chilling, you can prepare the pastry cream.

Pastry cream:
1¾ cups whole milk
¼ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
¼ tsp cinnamon
3 large eggs
⅓ cup cornstarch
½ cup sugar
½ cup canned pumpkin puree, can also use homemade

To prepare pastry cream:
1.      Heat milk in a small saucepan combined with the nutmeg and cinnamon over medium heat to a low boil.
2.      While waiting, combine eggs, sugar and cornstarch in a heatproof bowl.
3.      Once the milk is at a low boil, slowly temper it into the egg mixture.  To temper: while constantly whisking, slowly pour about half the milk into the egg mixture so it does not cook the eggs. 
4.      Once the milk-egg mixture is combined, pour it back in the pot.  Turn the heat to medium low and whisk constantly until the pastry cream is thick which should take a few minutes.  Remove from heat, place in a bowl of cold water and whisk in the pumpkin puree, whisking constantly until warm to the touch.
5.      Place pastry cream in another bowl, press plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and it will continue to thicken as it continues to cool. As it cools, make the crepes.

To make crepes:
1.      Using a 6 inch non stick pan, melt a tiny bit of butter (or Pam) over medium heat. Coat the pan with the butter using a paper towel. Repeat after each crepe made.
2.      Using a ¼ cup measure, pour about 2-3 tbsp of crepe batter in the center of the pan.  Lift and tilt the pan in a circular motion so the batter is thin and evenly covering the surface. 
3.      Cook for a minute, until the edges and bottom begin to brown.  Flip the crepe and cook for another minute until lightly browned.  Place crepe on wax paper and continue making crepes stacking them on top of each other. Make between 15-20 crepes.

To assemble:
1.      Place one crepe down on a piece of wax paper. Spread a thin layer (about as thin as a crepe) of the pastry cream on the crepe and place the next crepe down.  Repeat until you have used anywhere between 15-20 crepes.  Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
2.      Cut into 8 slices; serve it cold as if it were a cake.  I didn’t do it here, but feel free to also brulee the top of it by sprinkling sugar and burning it with a torch.  Garnish it with some toasted sliced almonds for some added crunch.

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