Holy Crêpe!

It's no secret that Ariel is the most caring, thoughtful, and beautiful woman in the world. And I'm pretty sure she's been the inspiration for multiple classic works of art, too. But did you know that she's also a seriously kick-ass cook? I mean, damn.

This past week Ariel decided she would try to tackle a new dish: the crêpe. As some of you may already know, one of ao's projects when we first got to Paris was to find the best sugar crêpe in Paris - an arduous task that she boldly confronted, wandering the city, often alone, to taste different street vendors' interpretations of sugary deliciousness. She and I have also gone to more than a few crêperies to explore the savory side of this Breton concoction, though the results have unfortunately been mixed at best (and stomach-turning at worst). So if you can't find the perfect dinner crêpe outside, why not make it at home?

Sadly, we don't have the proper tools (or space) in our wee, one-butt kitchen to actually make the skinny pancake-thingies ourselves, which meant our sweet ao had to rely on store-bought versions sold in packets of ten. Even with such limitations, though, she would not be thwarted - and in fact, she managed to turn that setback into a benefit. How, you ask? By preparing three delectable dinner recipes over the past week, as well as some nice dessert dishes, too. The first night, she started off with a twist on the classic ham-and-cheese filled crêpe, adding spinach, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes to the mix, and for dessert she combined two ingredients traditionally served individually - Nutella and strawberry jam - to create a truly awesome plate of tastiness. Then, the next night she decided to take a stab at seafood, filling our French flapjacks with smoked salmon, spinach, and crême fraiche - a sort of Breton blini, if you will. Needless to say, yum. And THEN, for lunch today, she went all out with her final crêpes of the week, using zucchini, a mix of caramelized onions and sautéed lardon, crême fraiche, a hint of pesto, and parmesan cheese (the results can be seen in the drool-inducing picture at the top of the post). Like I said before: damn.

Best of all (at least for me), despite the fact that just writing about ao's experiments in crêperie has made made my mouth water so much that I need a towel, Ariel says she wasn't entirely satisfied with the store-bought crêpes that she got and that she wants to make these dishes again sometime later using a different brand. I strongly endorse this plan.

And yes, it's okay for you to feel jealous.