Food Blog:
Cook In.
Eat Out.
Miss Tenacity.
New Mexico.
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Sunday, November 13
I am a Gawdamned Freak
"Still-life with Snacky-Crepe, 11/13/2005"
Some people like certain "best bits" of foods. For example, the crispy edge that forms in the corners of a pan of lasagna, or the last bite of a sugar ice cream cone, where all of the melted cream has pooled in those 8 little compartments.
Others, like pudding skin. Yes, pudding skin. That sweet, gooey and slightly chewy film that forms on the top of homemade pudding. Its somehow just a bit more dense in flavor and texture than the rest of the soft mass below - like comparing a thin Italian-style pizza crust to one made deep-dish and soft - and it can inspire a love/hate relationship.
And some others yet like substances that is related to the mythical pudding skin, yet could be classified as slightly more esoteric. Take my snack crepe pictured above, for example. Crepes are damn easy to prepare: you make batter, you let it rest, you cook thin pancakes. Easy. My snacky-crepe, however, was the by-product of 4 hours of slow cooking and stirring.
Just what in the hell was I doing? Condensing milk. That's right. At home, on the stove, not pouring some right out of a can. Taking 2 quarts down to half its volume takes 3-4 hours of simmering and stirring the repetitive skins out of the way to allow for evaporation to occur. When all is said and done, you pour out the slightly tanned thickened milk through a strainer into a new container, and all of the skins and debris get caught in the strainer. On the bottom of the (non-stick!) pan, there is also a tan 1/8" thick layer of cooked-on milk solids. Not burned, or else this wouldn't be pretty.
Take the skins in the strainer and dump them back into the pot on top of the cooked on crust, and swirl them around to more or less spread them out. Now sprinkle on just a scant teaspoon of brown sugar, and keep cooking on low until the mess is mostly dried out but plasticky - just not runny.
Carefully peel up the edge on one side, and pull out the whole circle like a crepe. Roll, and eat, letting the crispy outside hold in the slightly gooey and sweet top layer.
Take photos of what you are eating. Then try to pass it off as something interesting on your food blog. Good luck!
Time posted: 11:38 [permalink]
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CONTACT ME: tenacity -at- gmail.com
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