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A confession of a nerd’s
addiction
By Shannon K. Johnson
April 20, 2009 | I have a confession to make. I dream
about chocolate, in church I think about making crepes
and cupcakes. What 22-year-old spends her spare time
thinking about what to put in stuffed mushroom caps?
It is unusual for any 22-year-old to think about how
to make egg-drop soup but it is especially at that very
moment that is the culmination of years of education
that I should be thinking about.
I suppose that at the end certain stages of life we
wax sentimental so at the end of my time at Utah State
I have become a bit nostalgic. At twenty-two I will
have managed to graduate from college with a dual degree
and am going to go law school this fall. But at the
end of all my academic preparation I can think about
nothing more then baking.
Perhaps it is this paralyzing fear of the future.
Not yet knowing which school I will be enrolling in
this next fall-it makes one feel safer in their kitchen.
But whatever the reason I discovered a domestic skill
that I once tolerated is now more fun then-dare I say
it-homework.
Cooking is a process that is creative dynamic and
once you know the basic rules you only have to wait
a little while to get a reward. It is so against everything
else I do, I work today for tomorrow’s meal. I
pay thousands in tuition to ensure that I can get a
job. But now, I walk the streets of Logan for the last
time. I make cupcakes and fill out graduation announcements.
So perhaps because of its freedom and spontaneity or
maybe it is just that I like to eat and not share.
This last weekend I had a chance to make crepes. Crepes
are a un-levin pastry that is wrapped around various
fillings. I prefer dessert crepes with things like strawberries,
nutella, white chocolate or cheesecake pudding and apples
sautéed in cinnamon, vanilla and butter. So one
of the first things I learned how to make was crepes
and over the years I have refined and tried various
recipes.
The easiest way to make crepes is to take a large
blender whip three eggs, one-and-a-half cups of milk,
one-eighth teaspoon salt and two tablespoons vegetable
oil. After it becomes foamy, I like to add a teaspoon
of vanilla, a dash of nutmeg and gradually add one-and-a-half
cups of flour.
For my readers who have celiac the exchange ratio
for a flour mix it is one to one the best flour I have
used here is Gluten-free pantry’s all-purpose
flour. The reason the exchange is so simple is because
the crepe is un-levin.
After the mix is well-blended place the blender into
the fridge for an hour to chill but be sure to run it
through the blender to remix it before you bake it because
the batter will have settled with the flour on bottom
and liquid on top.
I prefer to make crepes by pouring them into a hot
nonstick pan with melted butter. I usually use a one-fourth
cup to pour and gently spread the batter out from the
center.
These crepes will be thick and resemble pancakes.
But in my opinion with crepes the thicker the better
it keeps the crepes from falling apart.
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