Julia Child Birthday Recipe - Crepes Suzette Video

Food lovers are celebrating Julia Child's birthday today. An in her honor the 99 Cent Chef's new palate-pleasing video, "Julian & Julia," introduces Julia Child's nephew, Julian Child. He's a real chip off the cutting board and a chef worthy of sauteing with Aunt Julia's copper-bottomed pot!

I had the good fortune to run into Julian Child at the Hollywood Farmers Market this last Sunday. We chatted about his "Aunt Julia" and the movie "Julie & Julia."

As we walked through fresh and fragrant stalls of produce Julian stopped at a stack of organic oranges and reminisced about his childhood summers in Paris, France, and how he would tug at Julia Child's apron and beg for his favorite dish: Crepe Suzette in an Orange Butter Sauce.

Aunt Julia eventually grew tired of always preparing it and soon taught it to her nephew, a budding chef. I seized the opportunity to invite Julian to The 99 Cent Chef's kitchen to cook his Aunt Julia's Crepe Suzette for everyone!

A delicious and decadent dessert made with loads of butter, this French classic is easy and of course, cheap to make. Flour, eggs, milk, orange juice, butter and a 99 cent airline bottle of cognac make up the main ingredients. (You can leave out half the butter, but then it would not be a true Julia Child culinary experience. Try it this way at least once!)

Julian & Julia - VIDEO

Play it here. The video runs 6 minutes, 20 seconds.

Click here to view or embed video from youtube.

Ingredients (about 6 crepes)

• 3/4 cup of milk
• 2 to 3 whole eggs
• 1/4 tsp. of vanilla - optional
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup of orange juice - fresh squeezed or carton pasteurize.
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 stick of butter - OK to use less
• 99 cent airline bottle of cognac (or brandy) - about 1/4 cup 

 Directions for Crepes
In a large bowl mix together flour, milk, water, salt, eggs and 1 tbsp. of melted or soft butter. Whisk until well blended, about 2 minutes. Heat your medium (about 8 inches) non-stick omelet pan and coat with 1 pat of butter or oil.

When butter is melted, add 1/4 cup of crepe batter - enough to just cover the bottom of the pan. Hold up pan and swirl to coat pan evenly. It is better to have too much batter than too little - a thin crepe will tear when turning.

Cook crepe for a minute, then loosen around the edges and continue cooking for another minute. Peek before turning to see if crepe is starting to brown. Carefully turn crepe over and cook for another half minute. As my video shows, the first crepe may stick and be unusable. Instead of throwing it away, you might as well taste it to see how tender the crepe turned out.
Don't worry, it takes a couple of crepes to get it right. Your crepes may not be perfect, but with a sweet Orange Butter Sauce no one will be complaining about the appearance. Set aside your cooked crepes to add to the Orange Butter Sauce.

Directions for Orange Butter Sauce
Use a large enough pan to dip a whole crepe into. Melt butter, then add orange juice, zest and sugar into pan, over a medium/high heat. Cook until sauce is reduced by half and thickened, about 5 minutes.

Reduce heat and add a crepe. Notice my use of a spoon and fork, in the video, to fold crepe into sauce. Fold in half once, then fold one more time and push crepe to the edge of the pan to make room for more.

I managed to fit about 3 crepes at a time to my pan. Allow crepes to heat through for a minute.


Now the fun part - cognac flambe! Have a long-handled match ready. This is when you want an audience. Your table should be set and the lights dimmed so you can serve the flaming Crepes Suzettes with a flourish!

When sauce and crepes are warm, pour in half the cognac and bring to the table. Place before your dazzled guest and strike a match, lighting the sauce.

Be careful: the cognac will flame up, so you don't want flammable items nearby (overhead curtains, paper, etc.) and your kids should not attempt this! Serve this first batch of crepes with a spoonful of sauce.

Finish saucing the other crepes, then flambe, and repeat. Bon Appetit!

If you are not familiar with the culinary icon, Julia Child, here is a scene from "Julie & Julia." Meryl Streep "chews" the scenery as larger-than-life Julia Child.

The other half of the movie is about Julie Powell blogging and cooking her way through, in one year, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" co-written by Julia Child. Both stories resonated with this Chef.

And the movie's Paris locale is intoxicating. You will find yourself leaving the theater with the booming voice of Julia Child in your head and your utterances will have her cadence. She is so fun to mimic you cannot help but bellow "Bon Appetit" every chance you get!

And 99 Thanks to Bob McGinness for his creative camerawork!

Black Olive Tapenade with Crostinis - Appetizer

OK, it's just canned, drained and chopped black olives with oil on toast. A French appetizer, tapenade is typically made with capers, black olives, anchovies and olive oil. Just put it all in a food processor until it's the consistency of hot dog pickle relish.

Crostini is Italian for "little toast" made with olive oil, salt and pepper. The Chef's latest recipe is sophisticated and simple, like a black evening dress -- a perfect party starter.

Black Olive Tapenade is a quick budget appetizer that you can make your own. There are many variations that the Mediterranean region has adapted -- so feel free to do the same. If you have sun-dried tomatoes in oil, add it; don't like anchovies, leave them out; capers too expensive, add a little chopped garlic instead; got some window-box herbs, add a few sprigs.

This versatile appetizer can be served on your favorite cracker or cut pita triangle as a canape. It even goes well as an extra topping on The 99 Cent Chef's Pita Pizzas.
Black olives are a favorite budget item this black-tie-avoiding Chef never tires of.

Ingredients for Tapenade (serves 4)
1 15oz. can of pitted black olives - drained
1/3 cup of olive oil*
Pepper to taste

All the following ingredients are optional -- use any or all.

3 large sun dried tomato halves with oil
1 tsp. chopped garlic - jar or fresh
1 tbsp. chopped fresh herbs - including parsley, sage or oregano
1 tbsp. capers - drained
1 whole anchovy from can
1 tbsp. of Dijon mustard

Crostini
2 French rolls - 6 inch size or just 1/2 loaf - sliced.
2 - 4 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle bread slices with olive oil and salt and pepper. Toast in oven or toaster oven for about 7 minutes at 350 degrees until lightly browned.

Directions for Tapenade
Simple, just combine all the ingredients you have on hand and blender, or food process, until finely chopped. Ready to serve on Crostini toast, crackers or pita triangles. You can prepare way ahead and store in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
*Ok to use less olive oil, too.

Julia Child Birthday Recipe - Crepes Suzette Video

Food lovers are celebrating Julia Child's birthday today. An in her honor the 99 Cent Chef's new palate-pleasing video, "Julian & Julia," introduces Julia Child's nephew, Julian Child. He's a real chip off the cutting board and a chef worthy of sauteing with Aunt Julia's copper-bottomed pot!

I had the good fortune to run into Julian Child at the Hollywood Farmers Market this last Sunday. We chatted about his "Aunt Julia" and the movie "Julie & Julia."

As we walked through fresh and fragrant stalls of produce Julian stopped at a stack of organic oranges and reminisced about his childhood summers in Paris, France, and how he would tug at Julia Child's apron and beg for his favorite dish: Crepe Suzette in an Orange Butter Sauce.

Aunt Julia eventually grew tired of always preparing it and soon taught it to her nephew, a budding chef. I seized the opportunity to invite Julian to The 99 Cent Chef's kitchen to cook his Aunt Julia's Crepe Suzette for everyone!

A delicious and decadent dessert made with loads of butter, this French classic is easy and of course, cheap to make. Flour, eggs, milk, orange juice, butter and a 99 cent airline bottle of cognac make up the main ingredients. (You can leave out half the butter, but then it would not be a true Julia Child culinary experience. Try it this way at least once!)

Julian & Julia - VIDEO

Play it here. The video runs 6 minutes, 20 seconds.

Click here to view or embed video from youtube.

Ingredients (about 6 crepes)

• 1 cup of flour
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 3/4 cup of water
• 2 to 3 whole eggs
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 tsp. of vanilla - optional
• Pinch of salt

Orange Butter Sauce

• 1/2 cup of orange juice - fresh squeezed or carton pasteurized
• Zest of 1/2 orange - optional
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 stick of butter - OK to use less
• 99 cent airline bottle of cognac (or brandy) - about 1/4 cup 

  Directions for Crepes
In a large bowl mix together flour, milk, water, salt, eggs and 1 tbsp. of melted or soft butter. Whisk until well blended, about 2 minutes. Heat your medium (about 8 inches) non-stick omelet pan and coat with 1 pat of butter or oil. 

When butter is melted, add 1/4 cup of crepe batter - enough to just cover the bottom of the pan. Hold up pan and swirl to coat pan evenly. It is better to have too much batter than too little - a thin crepe will tear when turning. 

Cook crepe for a minute, then loosen around the edges and continue cooking for another minute. Peek before turning to see if crepe is starting to brown. Carefully turn crepe over and cook for another half minute. As my video shows, the first crepe may stick and be unusable. Instead of throwing it away, you might as well taste it to see how tender the crepe turned out.

Don't worry, it takes a couple of crepes to get it right. Your crepes may not be perfect, but with a sweet Orange Butter Sauce no one will be complaining about the appearance. Set aside your cooked crepes to add to the Orange Butter Sauce.

Directions for Orange Butter Sauce
Use a large enough pan to dip a whole crepe into. Melt butter, then add orange juice, zest and sugar into pan, over a medium/high heat. Cook until sauce is reduced by half and thickened, about 5 minutes.

Reduce heat and add a crepe. Notice my use of a spoon and fork, in the video, to fold crepe into sauce. Fold in half once, then fold one more time and push crepe to the edge of the pan to make room for more. 

I managed to fit about 3 crepes at a time to my pan. Allow crepes to heat through for a minute.

Now the fun part - cognac flambe! Have a long-handled match ready. This is when you want an audience. Your table should be set and the lights dimmed so you can serve the flaming Crepes Suzettes with a flourish! 

When sauce and crepes are warm, pour in half the cognac and bring to the table. Place before your dazzled guest and strike a match, lighting the sauce. 

Be careful: the cognac will flame up, so you don't want flammable items nearby (overhead curtains, paper, etc.) and your kids should not attempt this! Serve this first batch of crepes with a spoonful of sauce. 

Finish saucing the other crepes, then flambe, and repeat. Bon Appetit!

If you are not familiar with the culinary icon, Julia Child, here is a scene from "Julie & Julia." Meryl Streep "chews" the scenery as larger-than-life Julia Child.

The other half of the movie is about Julie Powell blogging and cooking her way through, in one year, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" co-written by Julia Child. Both stories resonated with this Chef.

And the movie's Paris locale is intoxicating. You will find yourself leaving the theater with the booming voice of Julia Child in your head and your utterances will have her cadence. She is so fun to mimic you cannot help but bellow "Bon Appetit" every chance you get!

And 99 Thanks to Bob McGinness for his creative camerawork!

French Cassoulet - Baked Beans, Chicken & Sausage

The Chef is a Francophile. I like movies by Jean-Luc Godard, ye-ye pop music by Serge Gainsbourg, pommes frites (yes, French fries), and Cassoulet: a slow-cooked hearty bean dish.

One of my early L.A. jobs in the Biz was as a videotape editor. Lunch was often in a neighborhood restaurant run by a charming French couple. My favorite dish was a comforting plate of Cassoulet. It reminded me of a rustic home cooked all-in-one dish: a bean casserole version of Mom's Cajun rice dish, Jambalaya.

A classic Cassoulet is made with confit duck legs, sausage and white beans. I've yet to find duck for 99c or less a pound but chicken quarters from a local Latin market do fine; as for sausage, 99c only Stores always carry it.

A French mirepoix of veggies include: onion, garlic, bell pepper, carrot and celery. They will sweeten this stew with slow cooking on the stove top and in the oven.

For a vegetarian version, you can add more large cut veggies (carrots, potato) and leave out the meat (veggie stock instead of meat flavored bouillon,) but still bake it and top it with bread crumbs -- baking sweetens and intensifies the flavor of veggies and beans.

 Cassoulet can be a clean-out-your-refrigerator-of-veggies dish (I like to add more veggies than normal  recipes call for).

On a cold winter day, try out this simple baked bean entree that tastes even better reheated the next day. The 99 Cent Chef's Cassoulet would make Julia Child proud.

Ingredients (serves about 4) 

• 1 lb. package Navy beans (white) for 99.99 cents
• 8 cups of water (according to package directions.)
  
• 1 cup 99.99c white wine or vegetable broth - optional.
  
• 1 chicken or beef bouillon cube or powdered ( one tbsp.) - optional.
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. dried thyme or any favorite fresh or dried herbs.
• 1 each: whole onion, bell pepper, celery stick and carrot chopped (optional, just whatever veggie you have on hand really, including tomato.)
• 2 cloves garlic - peeled and chopped, or 2 tbsp. crushed garlic.
• 2 - 3 chicken leg quarters or about 4 - 8 chicken pieces including breast, leg, thigh and wings.
• One 12-16 oz. package 99.99 cent hot links or favorite sausage
• Salt and pepper to taste

*A nice touch is to add a layer of bread crumbs (about 1/2 cup) on top during final hour of oven baking.

Directions For Beans
Soak beans overnight in 8 cups water (or add an extra hour of cooking time to unsoaked beans). 

In a large pot (I have one that doubles for baking), add white wine (optional,) chopped veggies, herbs, chicken or beef bouillon (optional,) bay leaf, garlic, salt and pepper. 

Bring beans to a boil, cover and continue cooking over low heat until beans are tender, about 2 to 3 hours. 

Lately I've been adding greens. For quick-cooking spinach, or Swiss chard, add these when you start baking the sausage and chicken. For slower cooking collard, or mustard greens, add during the last hour of boiling beans.

Directions To Finish By Baking
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add chicken and sausage to cooked beans. 

Cooked uncovered in the oven for about an hour and a half until chicken is done (double check by piercing with a fork and juices run clear,) and liquid is reduced. Add water if liquid cooks out. 

I bake the chicken skin side up and I add a pinch of salt and pepper to the top of the chicken pieces. That way the skin is crispy and well seasoned when done. You can also remove the skin for a lighter Cassoulet. 

The sausage may need to be turned if it starts to blacken or brown too much.

For a thick sauce whisk together 1 tbsp. of flour into 1/2 cup of white wine or water and add to Cassoulet during last half hour of baking. You can also just mash some of the cooked beans and stir into Cassoulet.

If you top with bread crumbs during the last hour, the sauce will thicken on it's own -- so no flour is needed.

Cassoulet freezes fine, so don't let the large amount deter you. And it's the type of meal you can return to the next day -  it will be even better!