divine angst

I made a crepe cake tonight. It was yummy. I hadn’t really attempted crepes before, mostly because, until recently, I didn’t have an appropriate pan. But I got a very nice, 8″ non-stick skillet for Christmas, so I put it to good use tonight. (We’ve been using it for omelets, of course.)

I used this Alton Brown recipe for the crepes themselves, which was really simple. (But I didn’t have any liqueur on hand, so I left that out, and I didn’t let the batter sit for a full hour. About the latter: I didn’t have any problems with the crepes tearing, but I also have a really good, brand new, non-stick pan. So that might have contributed to the ease of turning the things.)

Once I had my crepes (OK, who am I kidding, I started filling the cake before all the crepes were done. Don’t do this, because the warm crepes make it hard to spread the filling) I started stacking them, spreading a thin layer of my filling on top of each one.

What fillling did I use? Eight ounces of mascarpone cheese with a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla stirred in. It might have been better if I’d used the stand mixer to incorporate everything, because it might have been softer or whippier. But it was fine just mixed in a bowl.

For a topping, I thought about doing caramelized sugar. Some of the crepe cakes I’ve seen have a creme brulee-type crust on them, made by sprinkling sugar and blasting it with a blowtorch. But the mascarpone had a slightly musty taste to it (supermarket mascarpone not being the most fresh), so it needed something a little brighter.

Since I didn’t have much else on hand, I nuked some strawberry jelly until it was liquid, and brushed it over the top and sides of the cake. That was a good call. Next time, though, I’ll nuke it a little less, so it’s more of a topping and less of a glaze. Still, it worked out quite well, considering two of us polished off 2/3 of it. It was definitely yum.

And yes, I am aware that I do not have a proper cake dish. Not being much of a baker, I never felt the need to purchase one. This was so good, though, that I might have to. And next time, I think I’ll suck it up and make pastry cream. Or maybe I’ll pick up some clotted cream. Mmmm. Fat.

Y’all, I feel, like, TWENTY YEARS YOUNGER today.

First, big bad group project is over. Second, one of my more difficult classes is getting to a place where we’re discussing some sort of tricky stuff, but it’s stuff I covered last semester in my favorite class. Ergo, I feel prepared every day that I walk into that class. Finally, I was terrified that I was WAY behind on my big legal writing paper, due in a week and a half, but I talked to my prof and she thinks I am in good shape and that I have outlined the issues the right way. Joy!

And there’s more! One of my good friends got a GREAT job today, after waiting to hear from employers for ages. I picked up my formerly ill-fitting suit jacket from the tailor’s, and it looks So Much Better. And there was BEER at school this afternoon.

Finally (again!), tonight’s Bar Review is only a couple of blocks from my apartment. I may actually go out tonight. Unreal.

If only the light in our kitchen hadn’t blown out this morning, today would have been a near perfect day. I feel totally refreshed and young.

Dude. This is really funny. I feel bad for the guy, but, actually, not that bad.