Souffleed Almond Dulce De Leche Crepes Food

DULCE DE LECHE CREPE CAKE

Steps:

• Make the crepes: Combine the milk, eggs, flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, vanilla and salt in a blender and process until smooth. Refrigerate the batter 30 minutes.
• Lightly brush a 10-inch nonstick skillet with melted butter and place over medium heat. Add a scant 1/4 cup of batter and quickly swirl the pan to coat the bottom. Cook until set on top and golden on the bottom, about 30 seconds. Carefully lift the edge of the crepe with a rubber spatula, then flip with your fingers and cook 20 more seconds. Invert the crepe onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 14 to 18 crepes, brushing the skillet with more butter as needed. Stack the finished crepes on the plate and let cool completely. (The crepes can be made up to 1 day ahead; let cool, then wrap the stack in plastic wrap and refrigerate.)
• Make the filling: Beat the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add 2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar in 2 batches, beating until smooth and fluffy. Add the dulce de leche and beat until combined. (The filling can be made up to 1 day ahead; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, then beat for a few minutes with a mixer before using.)
• Assemble the cake just before serving: Place 1 crepe on a platter or cake stand. Spread with a scant 1/4 cup of the filling, then top with another crepe. Repeat with the remaining filling and crepes, ending with a crepe on top.
• Beat the heavy cream and the remaining 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Spread on top of the cake and drizzle with dulce de leche. Serve immediately.

DULCE DE LECHE COFFEE

Steps:

• Combine the cream and sugar in a large bowl and whip until stiff.
• Pour the very hot coffee into 6 oversized mugs and divide the dulce de leche among the mugs (1 ounce in each). Stir until completely dissolved and combined. Add 1 tablespoon whiskey to each mug. Top with a heaping tablespoon each whipped cream and grated chocolate.

CRISPY CREPES WITH DULCE DE LECHE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Toast pecans in a shallow baking pan in middle of oven, shaking occasionally, until fragrant and a few shades darker, 8 to 10 minutes. Toss immediately with 1/2 tablespoon butter and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
• Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a well-seasoned crêpe pan or an 8-inch nonstick skillet. Blend milk, eggs, flour, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a blender until smooth. Pour in melted butter, leaving a film of butter in skillet, and blend until well combined.
• Heat skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Half fill a 1/4-cup measure with batter and, holding skillet off heat, pour in batter, immediately swirling and tilting skillet to create a thin even layer. (If batter sets before skillet is coated, reduce heat slightly. Next crêpe will be better.) Return skillet to heat and cook until crêpe is golden around edges and dry in center, about 45 seconds. Flip crêpe carefully and cook until golden, about 15 seconds more. Sprinkle crêpe lightly with sugar.
• Make more crêpes with remaining batter, stacking them as cooked and lightly sprinkling each with sugar.
• Preheat broiler and butter an 8-inch round flameproof shallow baking dish.
• Heat dulce de leche paste and cream in a small saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until smooth. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
• Fold crêpes into eighths and arrange in baking dish. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, then broil about 6 inches from heat until edges are crispy, about 45 seconds. Serve with sauce and pecans.

SOUFFLEED ALMOND-DULCE DE LECHE CREPES

Steps:

• Beat milk, almond extract and 3 whole eggs together until well blended. Mix flour and 1/3 cup sugar together and whisk into batter. Whisk in the butter. Strain mixture through a fine strainer and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
• Heat a 6-inch crepe pan. Very lightly butter it, then pour in a large spoonful of batter. Quickly tilt pan to coat bottom completely, cook until very lightly browned, peel crepe off the pan, turn it over and briefly cook the other side and remove. Don't worry if any of the crepes do not turn out well; there should be enough batter to spare. Repeat with remaining batter, buttering pan as needed. Stack finished crepes on a dinner plate, with the side that was cooked first facing down. You should have about 12 crepes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter jelly-roll pan and dust it with 1 tablespoon sugar. Toast almonds in oven or skillet. Set aside.
• Beat remaining egg yolks until thick. Stir in 2/3 cup dulce de leche. Beat remaining egg whites until softly peaked. Add remaining tablespoon sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Stir one-third of egg whites into egg yolk mixture, then fold in the rest. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the souffle mixture in the center of each crepe. Roll crepe around filling and place crepes, seam down, on baking sheet.
• Bake until crepes are puffed, about 15 minutes. Serve at once, with a little dulce de leche spooned on top, sprinkled with toasted almonds and whipped cream on the side.

ALMOND DULCE DE LECHE CRêPES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Blend eggs, 1/2 cup milk, flour, sour cream, sugar and extract in blender 1 min. or until smooth. Let stand 10 min.
• Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Mix dulce de leche and remaining milk; pour 1/2 cup into prepared dish. Tilt dish to evenly cover bottom with caramel mixture.
• Heat 8-inch nonstick crêpe pan or sauté pan sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add 1-1/2 Tbsp. batter; tilt pan to evenly cover bottom with batter. Cook 30 sec.; turn. Cook additional 30 sec. Fold crêpe into quarters; place over caramel mixture in baking dish. Continue with remaining batter to make a total of 16 crêpes, arranging in dish in 4 slightly overlapping rows. Top with remaining caramel mixture; cover.
• Bake 10 min. Sprinkle with nuts. Cool slightly. Serve topped with COOL WHIP.

CHOCOLATE-ALMOND SOUFFLé TORTE

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Shake out excess flour. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter paper.
• Combine 1/2 cup whole almonds and 2 tablespoons sugar in processor. Using on/off turns, grind nuts finely. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Combine remaining 1/2 cup whole almonds and vegetable oil in processor. Process until mixture is thick and pasty (consistency will be similar to that of peanut butter), scraping bowl frequently, about 3 minutes.
• Stir butter and 1/2 cup whipping cream in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until butter melts and mixture simmers. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Stir in both almond mixtures. Cool slightly.
• Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/3 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Beat egg yolks in another large bowl until very pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Gradually beat chocolate mixture into egg yolks. Fold in egg whites in 3 additions.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until sides crack and puff and tester inserted into center comes out with moist batter attached, about 35 minutes. Transfer cake to rack. Cool cake to room temperature, about 2 hours (center will fall slightly as cake cools.) (Can be prepared 4 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Beat chilled cream, amaretto and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until soft peaks form.
• Run small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides. Dust cake with powdered sugar. Sprinkle toasted almond slices around top edge of cake. Serve chilled or at room temperature with whipped cream.

DULCE DE LECHE

Steps:

• Put the sugar in a large saucepan. Turn the heat to a medium temperature and carefully melt the sugar. Gently tilt the pan as the sugar melts, rather than stirring, as it will adhere to a spoon or spatula.
• When the sugar is melted, add the butter and stir into the sugar. It will bubble, so take care. Next, add the milk a little at a time, stirring continuously.
• Finally, add the can of condensed milk and stir well until it is fully incorporated. Keep stirring as the dulce de leche bubbles and thickens over a medium heat. It will need a further 5-10 mins of cooking. It will turn a darker shade of brown and take on a slight orange-red hue as it darkens. It should be thick enough to leave a clear channel in the pan when a spoon is run through and then add a pinch of salt. It will firm up as it cools. The dulce de leche can be stored in a jar in the fridge and will keep for up to a month. If not storing in a jar ensure it's covered so a skin doesn't form.

CARAMELIZED CREPES STUFFED WITH DULCE DE LECHE

Steps:

• Combine the flour, water, milk, eggs, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon in a blender and puree until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides of the jar a few times. Add the melted butter and mix well.
• Leave the batter in the blender jar and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour.
• Place a nonstick skillet over medium heat and brush some melted butter on it. When the pan is hot, use a ladle to pour in about 3 tablespoons of the batter. To help create a thin crepe, tilt your pan in all directions so the batter covers most of the surface of the pan.
• Allow the crepe to cook until the edges start turning golden brown, about 2 minutes. Use a wide spatula to turn the crepe over. (I agree with the adage that says your first crepe never comes out right and you get a free do-over. The first one just coats the pan with fat so the rest cook evenly and slide off easily.)
• Place the crepe on a dish and cover it with plastic to keep moist. Repeat until you run out of batter. You should be able to make about 12 crepes.
• Rub some butter on the bottom of a 1-quart baking dish (the shape doesn't matter) and set aside.
• Working with one crepe at a time, place 2 tablespoons of dulce de leche in the center and fold the crepe in half. Fold it a second time to create a triangular shape. Place the crepe in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining crepes, placing the folded crepes in the baking dish so they slightly overlap.
• Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over the crepes. Brown (with a blowtorch or under the broiler) until the sugar caramelizes and turns golden brown, about 5 minutes under the broiler.
• Garnish by sprinkling confectioners' sugar over the crepes. Serve warm.
• TECHNIQUES
• Resting the Crepe Batter
• The secret to a successful crepe batter is to allow it to rest for at least an hour after the batter has been mixed. This allows the starch in the flour to absorb the liquid in the batter, which improves the texture of the crepe.
• Caramelizing the Crepes
• While you can skip this step, it really adds to the texture of the dessert. The easiest and most efficient way to do this is with a small blowtorch that can be found at most kitchenware stores. If you do not have one, place the baking dish as close to your broiler as you can get it and allow your broiler to caramelize the sugar.
• ADVANCE PREPARATION
• You can make the crepes a few hours in advance and keep them wrapped in plastic at room temperature. They will hold at room temperature stuffed with the dulce de leche filling for another couple of hours. It is best to eat the crepes the day they are made.