CRÊPES & MELON WITH MINT & CHERRY ICE CREAM

The first time we went through Pastry was on the old summer menu. So these are all new recipes we haven't done yet. The first of tonight's recipes is a classic you probably don't need to understand French to recognize: Crêpes Suzette (Crepes Flamed With Grand Marnier). The second recipe is something I've never heard of before: Melon With Anise and Mint and Cherry Ice Cream.

More on both recipes and mastering crepes after class and on the jump.

DISH: Crepes Flamed With Grand Marnier, Crêpes Suzette

RECIPE:

The Pâte à Crêpe
250 ML Milk
125 G Flour
2 Eggs
Pinch Salt
20 G Sugar
20 G Melted Butter
20 ML Clarified Butter or Oil For Cooking The Crêpes

The Orange Butter
125 G Butter, En Pommade
50 G Sugar Cubes
1 Orange, Juiced
25 ML Orange Liqueur
15 ML Brandy

The Garnitures
1 Orange, Zest and Sections
10 ML Grenadine

Procedure:

PÂTE À CRÊPE Prepare the crêpe batter, reserving the melted butter, and let rest for 1 hour. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine. Make a well in the center of the cry ingredients and add all of the eggs. Star whiskin gin the center of the bowl, drawing a little more flour into the eggs with each pass. When a thick paste has formed, start thinning it out with thmilk, adding it little by little. If you add the milk too quickly, you will get lumps. When all the flour is incorporated and the mixture has begun to thin out, add the rest of the milk. To incorporate the butter, temper it first with some of the crêpe base to prevent it from coagulating when you pour it into the cold mixture.

ORANGE BUTTER Wash the orange under the hot water and dry. Rub the skin with the sugar cubes. The oil in the zest will penetrate and flavor the sugar. Juice the orange. With a rolling pin, crush the sugar between parchment paper and add it to the softened butter. Beat until fluffy and smooth, and then add the orange liqueur. Add the orange juice a little at a time until the butter can absorb no more.

GARNITURE Zest the remaining orange with a vegetable peeler and julienne the zest. Blanch the zest in simmering water for 2 minutes to soften. Cook in grenadine for 8 minutes. Remove from the syrup and spread the zest out on parchment paper. Section the orange and reserve.

COOKING THE CRÊPES Clean and season the crêpe pans. Heat the oil or clarified buter in the pan until hot. Pour off any excess oil. Add 2 ounces of batter and immediately begin tilting the pan to spread the batter evenly and thinly over the bottom of the pan. Cook the crêpe over medium heat. Turn or flip over the crêpe and cook the second side. Lay the cooked crêpes out on a sheet pan to cool; do not stack when hot. Repeat the procedure to cook the remaining crêpes.

TO ORDER Melt the butter in a sauté pan. Add one of the cooked crêpes, coat with the butter, fold in half and then fold in quarters. Move it to one side of the pan and proceed until all crêpes are in the pan. Flambé with the brandy and serve 2 crêpes per plate with some of the sauce poured over the top. Garnish with the zest and orange sections.

DISH: Melon With Anise And Mint & Cherry Ice Cream, Melon À L'Anise Et Menthe, Glace Aux Cerises

RECIPE:

The Ice Cream
125 ML Milk
250 ML Heavy Cream
1 Small Cinnamon Stick
1 Vanilla Bean, Split
575 G Stemmed and Pitted Sweet Cherries
Kirsch
4 Egg Yolks
125 G Sugar
Pinch of Salt

The Melon
50 ML Honey
50 ML Anisette Liqueur
Juice of 1 Lime
½ Bunch Mint, Chopped
1 Cantaloupe
1 Small Honeydew Melon

The Garnish and Service
Mint, Cut Into Julienne
Mint Sprigs

Procedure:

ICE CREAM Bring the milk, cream, cinnamon, and vanilla bean just to the boil, and then remove from the heat and set aside to infuse. Meanwhile, stew 450 G of the cherries in 2 to 3 tablespoons water, stirring occassionally, until tender. Purée them in a food processor. Dice the remainder of the cherries and macerate them in some kirsch. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and salt until pale (blanchir). Bring the infused milk and cream almost to a boil and temper the yolks with some of it. Return the tempered yolks to the pot. Cook the mixture until nappant, and strain the custard into a bowl placed over an ice bath. Whisk in the cherry purée and continue to chill over the ice bath. When the custard has cooled, process it in the machine. Drain the macerated cherry pieces and fold into the processed ice cream. Freeze the ice cream until service time.

MELON Mix together the honey, anisette, lime juice, and chopped mint, and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine chinois, pressing hard on the mint to extract the oils. Halve the melons lengthwise into thin wedges and toss them separately with the liquid. Let the melon macerate for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

GARNISH AND SERVICE Arrange alternating slices of the melons in a flower pattern on the bottom of a chilled shallow bowl. Place a scoop or quenelle of the ice cream in the center, and then drizzle some of the remaining marinade over the melon. Scatter some julienne of mint over the melon and decorate the assembly with a sprig.

BREAKDOWN:

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