This month, fans put their best flipping skills to the test to make their take on Julia Child's "Crê pes Suzette," from WGBH's The French Chef. Our panel of judges—including celebrity chef Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery—were blown away by the creativity and cooking chops displayed in all of the submissions, but a few rose above the rest. Here are our favorites, with Joanne's thoughts on each:
Best Presented: Susan L.
Susan says: "I teach Culinary Arts and a couple of weeks ago our French classes came to learn some French dishes! These photos represent the fruits of their labor...Julia's crepe recipe (of course!) with whipped cream and mixed berries, beautifully produced by inexperienced students chefs...proud teacher here!"
Joanne says: "Her crepes are a nice golden brown color."
Best Effort: Max T.
Max says: "Crepe Suzette from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1 (photo taken in 2011). Since buying Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I have become a big Julia Child fan. I even have a food photo album where I incorporated her kitchen philosophies as I try out not just her cookbook recipes but also those from her contemporaries and collaborators. When I was still living in the United States as a graduate student in 2010, I’ve been cooking Julia Child’s cookbook recipes as a hobby (and I still do at present). The Crepe Suzette taught ne [sic] how to flambé foods even if the stove in my apartment was an induction stove. Eventually, the Crepe Suzette planted the seed of courage for me that I no longer fear handling a blowtorch."
Joanne says: "So great that he's using a blowtorch!"
One We Wanted To Try: Sophie K.
Sophie says: "Oh I just couldn’t resist! This is 5 y.o Anaïs, enjoying the crêpes she helped make. Her fave toping: chantilly and rainbow sprinkles. Big sister’s favorite: chantilly and chocolate. We make crêpes or waffles pretty much all winter long. They measure and mix, I cook. We learn to count, how to have patience, what good ingredients are and we just have fun in the kitchen. Where i’m from, we replace 1/2 the milk with Stella Artois: this makes the crêpes incredibly light. Mardi Gras being a school night, we’ll be making more crêpes, waffles and beignets this Saturday! Bon appétit!"
Joanne says: "I have to admit that the little girl w the big grin got to me! These crepes looked great and clearly the little girl is enjoying them. Plus all that whipped cream!"
Check out all of this month's submissions @WGBHBoston on Facebook, and stay tuned for next month's challenge!
