National Crêpe Suzette Day

Food lovers are celebrating Julia Child's birthday today. And 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 Eggs
• 2 tbsp. Butter
• 1/4 tsp. of Vanilla - optional.
• Pinch of Salt

Orange Butter Sauce

• 1/2 cup of Orange Juice - freshly squeezed or store-bought pasteurized.
• Zest of 1/2 Orange - optional.
• 1/2 cup of Sugar
• 1 stick of Butter - OK to use less.
• 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 tablespoon 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 Crêpe batter - enough to just cover the bottom of the pan.

 

Hold up the pan and swirl to coat the pan evenly. It is better to have too much batter than too little - a thin Crêpe will tear when turning. 

Cook the Crêpe for a minute, then loosen around the edges and continue cooking for another minute. Peek before turning to see if the Crêpe is starting to brown. Carefully turn the Crêpe over and cook for another half minute. 

As my video shows, the first Crêpe may stick and be unusable. Instead of throwing it away, you might as well taste it to see how tender the crêpe turned out.

Don't worry, it takes a couple of Crêpe to get it right. Your crêpes may not be perfect, but with a sweet Orange Butter Sauce, no one will be complaining about its appearance. Set aside your cooked Crêpes 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 in the pan, over medium/high heat. Cook until sauce is reduced by half and thickened, about 5 minutes.

Cooking Crepes Suzette

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

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

When the sauce and Crêpes are warm, pour in half the cognac and bring to the table. 

Now the fun part - Cognac Flambé! 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 Crêpes Suzettes with a flourish! Place before your dazzled guest and strike a match, lighting the sauce...oh my!

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 Crêpes with a spoonful of sauce.

Finish saucing the other Crêpes, then Flambé, 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!

Cinco de Mayo Recipes - Mexican & French Recipe Battle Royale

On the 5th of May, 1861, Mexico battled and defeated the French invading army. It became a celebrated holiday started in the United States.

And here in Los Angeles, the clashing continues in the Cheap$kate Cocina. For my latest recipe roundup, it's Mexican versus the French, redux, and the battlefield is the palate. Can we all get along? Forget about it - bring out the heavy artillery and let's duke it out, plate vs plate.

Skirmish One is a Fried Feud: Tacos Baja Fried Fish Tacos vs Ludo Truck French Fries and Fried Chicken.

Forever on lists of best taco joints in Los Angeles, Tacos Baja makes one of the most delicious Fish Tacos in town. These battered deep-fried filet torpedos of perfection are also one of the best deals around, especially on Wednesdays, when they are sold for only 99 cents!

Fish Taco

The Fish Taco is loaded with a Mexican machete chopped tomato/cabbage slaw that is topped with cream and chile sauce. When you try to pick up the taco half of the slaw is left on the plate, so be sure to get a forked slaw detector and sweep over the plate to get all that spilled.

Click on any photo to see it larger.

The deep-fried batter is well-seasoned and cooked to perfection. The fillet has a thick seasoned crust and the bass fish filet is flaky and moist - a detonated depth charge of flavor.

This Mexican Pescado Taco is a winner, even at the regular price of $1.69 per taco. Your strafed taste buds happily surrender to such crunchy deliciousness. To see what I'm writing about just check out my video review below. (And click here to see my cheap$kate recipe you can make in your own foxhole.)

Tacos Baja

16032 Whittier Blvd.
Whittier, CA 90603
ph: (323) 887-1980For Tacos Baja website, click here.

The French return fire with Top Chef star Ludo Lefebvre's fried chicken fast food truck. How does the Ludo Fried Chicken Truck compare to Tacos Baja Fried Fish Tacos?

  

You would think Chef Ludo has all the culinary training to deliver a coup de grace with his fried poultry ordinance. Not so quick mon ami, fried chicken is a Southern staple so you better have a toothsome battle plan. 

Compared to the Colonel's KFC, the Ludo Truck's Chicken Strips ranks a Private. Fried chicken, when done right, has moist meat with a brightly seasoned crunchy coating. While Ludo's Chicken Strips meet the first requirement, it deserves a blindfold and firing squad for an under-seasoned coating. Chicken Strips start with a handicap -- the skin is usually removed, so the crust has to be exceptional. 

Chef Ludo needs to bone up on Southern fried chicken seasonings, especially if Chicken Strips are the ordnance of choice -- or take your fried chicken strips in a more original and delectable direction.

Chicken strips, Fries and Dipping Sauce

Now the white meat tenders are moist, and are a generous portion, even at $5.50 for two. While the coating is crunchy enough and not objectionable, it's just bland and boring. I expect more from a Top Chef contestant.

Another item I have tried from Ludo Truck is the French Fries -- and I hate to say it, but no improvement here. Chef Ludo should just wave a white flag and surrender.

French Fries

You would think French Fries from Frenchman Ludo Lefebvre would be a direct bullseye hit, wiping out other fries contenders, but they are more of a warhead dud. These French fries are limp and under-seasoned. Maybe because I am more of a Belgian double-fried crispy fries type. (Chef Ludo, you can check out my recipe video for a better French fry by clicking here.)

Even though the Ludo Truck fries seem fresh, and thick-cut, almost any fast food burger joint makes them better, even when made from frozen pre-cut spuds. Don't fill your mess kit with this meal, stick to MRE's. Okay, at ease... now check out my video below to get all the so-so-tasty details.



So in this battle royale, Mexico blows the French out of the water, and not because it's cheaper, it's just tastier.

Sortie two is War of the Soup recipes: Calabasita vs French Onion Soup.

Calabasitas is a Mexican veggie stew made with a bunker full of summer squash. It's spicy comfort food, a dish often ordered by my late wife at a local Hollywood Mexican restaurant and shared over a Happy Hour of frosty margaritas.

Along with squash, you need an ammunition belt of onion, corn (fresh or from a can), tomatoes, a can of mild green chiles, cilantro, and finally, some melting cheese as a topping.

Be sure to choose a cheese that is firm, like Jack, mozzarella, Swiss, mild cheddar, or my favorite, Mexican Queso Fresco (avoid processed American cheese; it will melt into a soup - save it for a grilled sandwich).

They say the military marches on its stomach, well Calabasitas is hearty enough to satiate any soldier's appetite.

So how does Calabasitas stand up to French Onion Soup?

French Soup

Sweet caramelized onions in a broth of red wine and the beef flavor is a full-on invasion of savoriness. It takes a lot of slow cooking sliced onions to make a French Onion Soup. But the time invested is worth it. And when you add a thick slice of toasted French bread and a slab of melted cheese, well you have to succumb to this flavor bomb.

So in the battle of the soups, the white flag of surrender is waved by Mexico - France gets the win, but just barely. There, you have your revenge for the last culinary resounding defeat.

 Finally, clash three is a Battle of the Breakfast: Huevos Rancheros vs a French Cheese Omelet.

I've been making Huevos Rancheros often lately. And the reason is: it's the bomb! You got corn tortillas, creamy refried beans, crumbly Mexican cheese, and fried eggs topped with more cheese and tangy salsa. 

You are hit from all sides with this Gatling gun of disparate flavors. And it's an easy recipe to make. Just heat up some tortillas and refried beans to add to your fried eggs. I prefer Mexican cheese, but you can use what you have on hand. Deliver the coup de grâce with your favorite salsa, either fresh (simple recipe click here) or from the jar.

Just check out my video below to see my cheap$kate version.

It's Guerilla vs Classic Warfare. The technique is paramount to making a French-style Omelettte. I took me several counter-offensives to finally conquer it. 

French Omelette

Mainly you gently stir the omelet until it is almost done but still slightly moist, then add the cheese and fold the egg. It's served with a damp interior. 

Oh, and you fry the omelet in butter; so in your own battle of the bulge, fitting into your fighting gear will be a lost cause.

Once you've tried my version of a French Omelette, you will never surrender to any other kind. Check out my video recipe below and start your own cooking maneuvers.

So who won the War of Breakfasts? Man, it's a tough decision...I can't decide, so I'll call a truce in this kitchen combat zone - both recipes are victorious!

Everyone is a winner in this war of appetites, so don't wait to be drafted, just volunteer from my recipe boot camp and give any of the above battle-tested recipes a try. 

*Click on any recipe name to see the original blog post recipe or review.

National Hoagie Day - Recipes & Reviews

I learned what a Hoagie is when visiting my girlfriend's family in Philadelphia. Hoagies come from there and you can get the sandwiches at local bars, delis, and sandwich shops. To see my recipe version you can scroll to the end of this blog post to see how I make mine.

Click on any photo to see it larger.

They are composed of cold cuts deli meats and cheese (provolone)  with a typical sandwich dressing of tomato, onion, and lettuce on a soft Italian or French-style roll. 

What makes a Hoagie unique is an oil and vinegar salad dressing to drizzle inside the sandwich. If you like a fast-food Subway Italian B.M.T., Spicy Italian, or a Cold Cut Combo Sandwich, you will like a Hoagie.

Check out my slideshow visit below to Happy Hour Tavern in Levittown, Pennsylvania for my first real local Hoagie. The bar is attached to Dale's Deli. Of course, it was a delicious Hoagie Sandwich along with a bag of Charles Chips, and a limited edition Yuengling Hershy's Chocolate Porter beer!

My first Hoagie Sandwich in Levittown, Pennsylvania

Slideshow

I didn't realize it, but growing up we used to take a Southern version of a Hoagie to school, but we called it a Baloney and Cheese Sandwich. The main difference was mine was served with plain sliced white bread. I liked mine with the addition of mayo, lettuce, pickle, and tomato. 

The Hoagie is Italian-American in origin at the turn of the 20th Century. A Hoagie is claimed the "Official Sandwich of Philadelphia." You can read all about the origins as well as various versions here. A real Hoagie is always served cold, not heated like a similar Submarine Sandwich.

Some say the Hoagie is derived from the Tin Pan Alley songwriter and actor Hoagie Carmicheal. That's a bit of a stretch, but both came on the scene about the same time.

Two or three deli meats are laid out in a typical Hoagie. The main deli meat is Salami, which I come by from my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree.  Other deli meats that can be included are Capicola, Prosciutto, and Pepperoni. 

For cheese, a Hoagie has slices of Provolone cheese. Provolone is a mild soft cheese similar to Mozzarella (a fine alternate cheese) that shows up on your typical pizza. Now, Provolone is harder to find at dollar stores, but I frequently score Mozzarella cheese. 

I once discovered a vegan Provolone...hmmm, can't say it tasted anything like a slice of any mild cheese. 

For a Cheap$kate Hoagie Sandwich, you can substitute a meat filling of bologna, ham, and pepperoni -- now those are the cheapest deli cuts.

As for a cheese substitution use any fave like Monterrey Jack, Colby, String Cheese, Cheddar, and even good old American Cheese. 

Check out the meat and cheese list for Hoagies from a great sandwich shop in Philadelphia called Jack's Place.

And here is a slide show of Linda and I's visit there, a stop I definitely will make again next vacation.

 Hoagie Sandwich from Jack's Place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Slideshow

A Hoagie is all about the bread, too. The bread roll is of the Italian variety, slightly crunchy on the outside and very soft inside.

I find six-inch rolls you get in the bread department of most grocery stores are a similar type of roll. Local Latin markets have a roll called Bolillo. In Louisiana, our French Roll for a Po-Boy is about the same. I'm sure your local bread purveyors have a version that will fill the bill.

Now hot dog buns and steak rolls are a bit too soft, but I guess they will do in a pinch? Rolls with a crunchy crust are best.

I like my sandwiches with mayo and mustard, but a Hoagie has an Italian Dressing mix of oil, vinegar, and sometimes dried oregano. Just drizzle the Dressing over the inside bread and cold cuts.

Lettuce, sliced tomato, and onion complete a Hoagie Sandwich. I've had the sandwich served with yellow vinegary pepperoncini and a bag of salty potato chips.

Wow, this is such a tasty blog post...please excuse me, I'm off to make myself a Hoagie Sandwich right now -- won't you join me? Just follow my Hoagie Sandwich recipe video below and make your own.

Hoagie Sandwich - Recipe Video

Play it here, video runs 3 minutes, 52 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.