Orange Honey Mascarpone Crepes

My mother in law made this for us when she was visiting once and it is amazing.  We've made it several times since.  

Orange Honey Mascarpone Crepes

SERVES: ABOUT 16 9-INCH CREPES

INGREDIENTS

• Crepe
• 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. white whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp. cane sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 1/2 c. whole milk
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• Filling
• 1 c. (8 oz.) mascarpone (or you can mix sour cream and cream cheese)
• 1 tbsp. orange zest
• 1 tbsp. orange juice
• 2 tbsp. honey
• dash of cardamom
• dash of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make crepes ahead. Add crepe ingredients into a blender and blend for 30 seconds or until evenly combined. Scrape down sides if necessary. Allow to sit for at least 15 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator. Batter and flavor develop over the rest.
2. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat (much easier with a crepe pan). Once warmed, add a tiny bit of butter to the surface. It should bubble and brown quickly. This will give your crepe a nice color. Pour a little less than 1/3 cup of batter onto the pan. The crepe should be thin. Slowly tilt the pan in a circular motion to move the batter around the pan. Once batter stops moving, place back on the burner.
3. Cook for 2 minutes. Using a thin spatula along with your fingers, flip the crepe and cook for another minute longer. Stack crepes on a plate and repeat.
4. Make filling. In a bowl, add filling ingredients and stir until combined with a spoon or spatula. Skip getting out your hand mixer. Over beating mascarpone will cause it to become grainy.
5. Serve crepes warm. Fill with a small dollop of mascarpone. Fold over twice. Top with berries of choice (blueberries are nice with orange).

Easy Shepherd's Pie (err Cottage Pie)

We hope everyone had a happy St. Patrick's Day!  Mitchell learned at a little pub in Santa Monica that he thinks Shepherd's pie is great!  And we're happy to get some veggies into his little body, so it was win-win.  We made this again for the holiday and Mom and Dad did too (redeeming themselves from their newly wed Shepherd's Pie Disaster.

It should be noted that a Shepherd's Pie is actually made with Lamb.  The ground beef variation is most people's preference and is technically a Cottage Pie, but no one knows what that is.

I think with these you can mess around with the veggies based on your tastes and what you have on hand, I used carrot, celery, peas, and onion, but some of those might not appeal to you

• Mashed Potatoes (Do these however you want but make sure they're seasoned)
• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs Ground Beef (or lamb if that is your thing)
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery (optional)
• 1/2 c peas
• 1/2 c corn (optional)
• 1 onion
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 Tbs Worcestershire (or more, we really love this)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 Tbs Flour
• 2 Tbs Butter
• Fresh Italian Parsley

Basic Instructions:

1) Begin making Mashed Potatoes (your favorite way)

2) Brown meat in some oil and season with S&P

3) Drain meat and set aside in a bowl

4) Saute veggies for 5 or so minutes until softened

5) While veggies, create a gravy: cook flour and butter for 2 minutes

6) Add Worcestershire and stock and cook for another minute

7) Add the meat and veggies to the gravy.  Season to taste.

8) In a casserole dish or individual french onion soup crocks, put the meat and veggie mixture on the bottom, top with seasoned mashed potatoes, and some paprika

9) Broil for 6-8 minutes until potatoes are brown.  

10) Garnish top with Parsley