One of best things about being a chef is teaching people to cook.
I cherish the moment when I see the knowing gleam of light in a student’s eyes. The moment when they have mastered a new cooking technique or when they have discovered the answer to a daunting cooking question that may have plagued them for years.
It’s that very moment I feel complete and utter professional and personal satisfaction. My heart soars with emotion and I realize, another home chef is born.
“Food should not only satisfy our hunger, it should feed our soul, nourish our bodies and delight our senses”. This is my mission.
To teach, to feed, to bring joy through the most soul satisfying and nourishing food. Food that is fresh, simple and delights the taste buds. Clean, fresh flavors that aren’t hidden in a mountain of ingredients.
Simple goodness from the earth, prepared into a culinary adventure for our senses.
Nothing could be more sensory satisfying than these lovely grilled peach crepes with lavender mascarpone. These little beauties were created using the mountain of crepes I’ve been making (my practice test run) for a girl scout cooking class.
I had so much fun making crepes with these lovely little ladies. Delightful, clever and brilliant, these gals will rule the world some day. 🙂
Wishing you all a delicious summer!
Loads of Love,
Karista
Grilled Summer Peach Crepes with Lavender Mascarpone
If you happen to find yourself with a flat of apricots, nectarines or plums, these would also be delicious substitutions for the peaches.
Serves 8
Ingredients
8 ounces mascarpone, room temp so it’s easier to mix and spread
1 tablespoon dried lavender
¼ cup sugar
4 peaches (firm but give a little when squeezed), halved and pit removed
1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup good quality honey (I use a local wildflower honey)
8 crepes (recipe below)
Drizzle of honey and chopped fresh mint for garnish
Directions
Preheat the grill to 400F.
In coffee grinder, food processor or mortar and pestle, grind the sugar and dried lavender together. Make sure the lavender is finely minced.
Mix together the lavender sugar and the mascarpone and set aside.
Brush the peach halves with veggie oil and grill until the peaches are tender to the touch and nicely marked with grill marks.
Place the grilled peaches on a cutting board and slice. Then put the sliced peaches in a bowl and drizzle with honey.
Fill each crepe with a tablespoon or two of lavender mascarpone and a few grilled peach slices and then roll. Garnish with an additional drizzle of honey and fresh mint.
Crepes Recipe
I’ve tested at least five different crepe recipes and this is hands down my favorite. My dear friend, Pastry Chef Laurie Pfalzer of Pastry Craft Seattle, gave me this recipe and of course like all her recipes, it’s perfectly delicious!
Classic French crepes are perfect for dessert and plenty of savory dishes too. Make the batter a day ahead for best results.
1 ¼ cups (6 ounces) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (1 ½ ounces) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 each eggs, room temperature
3 each egg yolks, room temperature
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter
1 ½ cups (12 ounces) whole milk
Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.
Combine the butter and milk in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat until just warm to the touch and the butter has melted. (If it gets too warm, transfer it to a metal bowl to cool some.)
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks.
Add the eggs to the dry mixture and whisk until combined. The batter will become a thick paste. Add the milk and butter all at once and whisk gently until combined.
Let the crepe batter sit for at least one hour, but preferably over night.
Making the crepes: Cut or tear 20 pieces of parchment about 6×6 inches each. Set them aside.
Heat a skillet (8-10 inches) or crepe pan over medium-high heat. (See more info on crepe pans below.) Make sure the pan is hot before you add the batter. Add ¼ to 1/3 cup crepe batter to the pan and gently tilt the pan to distribute the batter over the entire bottom of the pan. Return the pan immediately to the heat. Cook the crepe until the top bubbles and the edges start to curl, about 1 minute. Using a heat-resistant rubber spatula, gently loosen the edges of the crepe. Turn the crepe with the spatula or use an offset spatula or pancake turner. (I like to lift the edge of the crepe with my fingers, slide the rubber spatula under and flip it over. You can use your fingers and the spatula to straighten it in the pan if needed.) Cook the crepe on the second side for less than 1 minute or until it is brown and releases easily from the pan.
Slide the cooked crepe onto a piece of the cut parchment and repeat the steps above for the second crepe. Lay a piece of parchment on top of the first crepe and slide the second crepe onto the parchment. (This way you will have a stack of parchment/crepe/parchment/crepe and so on.)
Continue cooking the crepes until all of the batter is gone. It is important to stir the batter frequently, as the solids will settle toward the bottom. You can make as many crepes as you need and store the remaining batter in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. (Be sure to stir the batter well before making the crepes. I like to let the refrigerated batter sit on the counter for 30 minutes so that it is not cold.)
Crepe Pans: There are a number of crepe pans on the market today, including plenty of basic skillets that also work well. I keep a non-stick pan on hand just for eggs and crepes. Usually, you won’t need to use butter or any other oil to keep the crepes from sticking when using a non-stick pan in good condition. However, sometimes the first crepe will stick some. If this happens to you, just remove it (and have it as a snack). Then make sure the pan is clean, add one teaspoon of butter to coat the pan and start with the second crepe. This will often “season” the pan and it will cook your crepes perfectly from here on. If you prefer to use a pan that is not non-stick, use a small amount of clarified butter before cooking each crepe.
Recipe adapted from unknown source by Pastry Craft.
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This sounds AMAZING. I love grilled peaches – and love finding new things to do with them. This sounds like a perfect summery dessert. Lavender marscapone?! Yes, please!
🙂 Thanks Bill! I adore lavender, it’s almost an obsession. haha!
These crepes look absolutely incredible. I’ve just had supper but I’m hungry for more now after reading this! I don’t suppose you’d consider entering this into the Herbs on Saturday bloggers challenge over at Bangers and Mash would you – it would be a perfect dish to add to the list…
Thanks Vanesther! I will certainly check out the challenge. Thanks for mentioning it!
What a beautiful dessert. Your crepes look paper thin and delicious.
Thank you Karen! I made so many I now have several dozen packaged away in the freezer. LOL!
The crepes look perfect — I would expect nothing less from you 🙂 You also had me at the lavender — I have a bunch growing in my back yard and I’ve always wanted to cook with them ever since I had lavender creme brûlée years ago. Can I just literally cut the flowers, dry them and use them like that?
Hi Danny! Thanks for the kind compliments. Isn’t lavender just so lovely to look at and gloriously tasty in food too?! Here is a link to one of my favorite lavender farms over on the Olympic Penninsula in Sequim, WA. It’ll give you all the info for drying culinary lavender. http://www.purplehazelavender.com/drying.html
Karista, I am so sorry. I am just noticing all these features in WordPress and seeing that I never read your reply with all this great information. My bad! But thank you for sending!!!! 🙂
Delicious, Karista. I’ve still never cooked with lavender… I need to. I’ve got a peach recipe coming tomorrow, it was yum and a little different from what I usually do – you’ll see… I do love a good crepe – this one sounds particularly good and interesting, which is something I look for in a food blog post 😀
Thanks Frugal! Yes, you definitely need to experiment with lavender because I’d love to see what you come up with! Can’t wait for your post tomorrow. I always look forward to getting your new posts in my email box. 🙂 Truly, you are one of my very fave food bloggers!
Summery and delightful. Great combinations . I understand what you mean by teaching I love that little lightbulb just went on with a smile.
Thanks Bam! I especially love teaching the kids and teens. A life skill not often learned by young people here in the states.
Looks delicious! Although, Ive never cooked with lavender but willing to try 🙂
http://www.glitzgirlzglamourguide.com
Thank you! I think you’d love cooking with lavender. I also have some lavender cookies on my blog under the category “sweets”. Those are a bit of fun too. 🙂
ok I will take a peak 🙂
Such a sophisticated blend of flavors. And those crepes look so light and airy. Thanks for an excellent post.
Thank you for your kind comment! The crepe recipe is fantastic and my absolute fave crepe recipe to date. And of course you can fill crepes with pretty much anything tasty. 🙂
I love reading about someone who is passionate about their lives.. especially as passionate as you are about food and your career. You must have been so inspirational for those young ladies.. and I bet they were delighted with the outcome when they sampled those crepes!! xx Smidge
Thank you Smidge! I do love my career and absolutely adore the kiddos. It was great fun and yes, completely delicious! A few of the gals have made them on their own at home this past week. 🙂
A stunning recipe (why don´t I make crepes more often, they´re so easy and so good!). It was wonderful to see you in action with those young girls – I bet they had the time of their lives and I am sure you inspired many of them. Experiences like this are so important when growing up!
Thanks Chica! I love working with tweens and teens. Enjoy your visit to London… looking forward to your next post. 🙂
Fabulous recipe!
I didn’t have much of a chance to teach my kids to cook when they were younger. My granddaughter is ALWAYS in the kitchen and garden with me now…
Funny, my two sassy gals should know how to cook but my oldest seems to be to busy to learn and my youngest is an emerging picky eater. 🙂 I’m hoping someday they will recall all the cooking instruction.
“Food should not only satisfy our hunger, it should feed our soul, nourish our bodies and delight our senses”. What a fabuous and inspiring mission you have Karista – I can now say with utmost sincerity that I know what you are talking about. What a fabulous journey!
This recipe looks so luxurious, mastering crepes is a tough one, but they are such a wonderful treat! Love the lavender too – delightful! xox
Awww… Thanks Shira! I feel your passion in each of your posts and I think that’s one of the many things that draws me to read your blog. And your recipes are delicious!
Oh, Karista, this post was all sorts of fun. First, how can you go wrong with bringing people the light and lovely crepe? I am hoping we can have a few friends over and tackle this yummy recipe collaboratively. It’s rare to find a place where they make them authentically. Nearby, though, is an outdoor mall where they recently put one in, and after trying a crepe for the first time, I realized I had no idea what I was missing — wow!
How fun this must had been for you! Teaching those young girls to cook. I must say, too, that they look incredibly engaged. As a former nanny I commend you in your ability to master their minuscule attention-spans. 😉
You look lovely, btw, in your chef’s uniform.
Happy Monday, my friend.
~ Cara
Cara you can absolutely tackle and create a lovely crepe! Truly they are simple once you’ve practiced a bit. And what a great idea to have friends over to help.
I love the tween/teen age group… well most age groups actually. These gals were so eager to learn and of course that just feeds my excitement! I can’t believe I wore my boring black coat for pictures. I have pink, bright red and burgandy. Pink is my favorite. 🙂
What sweet faces, learning how to make delicious crepes! The recipe looks fantastic and you look great too :).
Thank you!! They are sweet girls and bright, clever gals too. It was a fun class and the girls are already planning another.
It is very rewarding teaching people to cook, looks like the girls are having fun too.
They had a fabulous afternoon making crepes and filling them with all sorts of yummy things. 🙂 Have a fabulous week!
Firstly, the stack of crepes look amazing (exactly as you describe them as light & fluffy!) I love almost anything with lavender in it (I’d eat the drawer liners if I could) and thirdly, everybody looks like they’re having so much fun! 🙂
Yikes! I visited two days ago and thought I’d commented, but evidently not. This looks so lovely, Karista! I just tried a variation on Sawsan’s salad a week or so ago, and adore the infused taste of the lavender with the peaches. Using it with the mascarpone is inspired! Just delicious. Happy summer!
Thanks Betsy! No worries, I do the same. Often. 🙂
I believe I can honestly say I’m addicted to lavender. I love it in my food and I love to wear the scent too. LOL!
What a beautiful dish! I wanna make this. 🙂
Thank you! I’m nuts about lavender and feel so lucky we get tons of stone fruit here in Washington. These crepes would taste might fine with some grilled Georgia peaches. 🙂 Hope you had a fabulous 4th of July!
I was just inspired to buy some lavendar plants this weekend after reading Swanson’s recent post. Now I’m waiting for them to flower (patiently!). I’m happy to have another recipe to try out when they do bloom! (Nice to see you teaching a group of Girl Guides — it is such a great organization for girls. i was a sparks leader last year and did a session on interesting fruits and veggies!)
Thanks Barb. So glad you’re also involved with the young in your community! I think its so important for our little ladies to have good role models. I too have some new lavender plants, replacing a few of my old ones that didn’t make it through the deep freeze we had this past winter. 🙁