Crepes are only tricky when you allow them to be. Try thinking of them as thin little pancakes with a lacy edge, wrapped around a luscious filling.
Let's take care of the pancakes first.
It's a light batter, and it needs two things: it wants to be put through a sieve to be perfectly silky, and it needs to rest before being a base for your ethereal pastry cream.
Make sure your pan is truly hot before you begin cooking your batter. Make certain you have enough batter to make at least eightcrepes - the first one to show you how hot your skillet is, let you adjust your timing and one to throw away because it's not right - for any reason.You'll need six crepes altogether.
You want that pastry cream to be really creamy - so make certain your cornstarch is both incorporated and cooked. Keep the cream light by putting a piece of plastic wrap right on top of it.
(Mr. Grausman harbors an intense dislike of that yucky "skin" cream develops when exposed directly to air - so don't think you can "just stir it in" when you're filling the crepes.)
Remember this, too: it's a chocolate sauce (silky and smooth, not chunky!). If you're planning to use it mostly for garnish, figure out how to drape some of it right on the crepes! (People - including judges! - like a little taste of chocolate within dessert.)
BTW - keep the sauce away from the pilot light. If you accidentally scorch it, there's no recovery and your final plate is going to have a scorched taste.
If that strawberry on your mise en place is shouting, "Garnish!" at you, figure out how to get a bit of strawberry into the crepes! Don't tease people with a garnish that's not in the dish.
You might want to check out earlier CCAP competition images for presentation ideas -- or, google "dessert crepes presentation" images for some ideas on plating this dessert.
Coming next: best and final tips for competition AND how to do your best at your post-competition interview.
No comments:
Post a Comment