Endive and Kiwi Salad
Preparation: 5 minutes
Servings: 4 small adult “side salad” servings
French families eat a lot of endive, both raw and cooked, and it is one of the vegetables that many French children seem to like. Chopped finely, endive has the texture of lettuce hearts, but is just slightly tangier. Some children may initially find endive to be a bit bitter until they get used to the taste. So in this recipe, vinaigrette and sweet-tart kiwi are used to offset any bitterness, while providing a little acidity to keep the leaves looking fresh.
This dish makes a lovely summer salad, or “starter” for a meal any time of year, and keeps well in the fridge for a day.
If you don’t have kiwi, use any type of fresh fruit that your children like.
4 endive heads, sliced crosswise (the thinner the better), hard ends removed
4 tablespoons vinaigrette
Optional: minced fresh chives
2 kiwis, peeled, sliced, and quartered
In a large bowl, combine the endive and vinaigrette. If you like, sprinkle the salad with minced chives. Lay the pieces of kiwi on top.
Tip: Serve the vinaigrette on the side as a dip if this is a new flavor for your family.
Vinaigrette (Classic French Salad Dressing)
Preparation: 2 minutes
Servings: Makes a little less than 1 cup, to serve a family-size salad
Vinaigrette captures the spirit of French cooking: easy to make, healthy, inexpensive, and tasty. French children get used to the taste of vinegar at a very early age (and often use it where North American children would prefer ketchup). To accommodate palates slightly less used to acidic dressing, I have modified this recipe just slightly, with a Canadian twist.
This dressing stores well for at least a week in the fridge.
½ cup extra virgin olive oil (or canola oil)
¼ cup red or white wine vinegar
1½ teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
Optional: 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Optional: 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot, scallion, or onion
1. Put the ingredients together in a jar with a lid, close the jar, and shake vigorously.
2. Taste before serving, and adjust quantities according to your preference (my mother-in-law prefers a more acidic vinaigrette, whereas I prefer my slightly sweeter, gentler version).
Tip: Kids love using this as a dip. Before the main evening meal, I serve the vinaigrette in little individual bowls along with crudités (raw vegetables) like carrots and cucumber sticks. This vinaigrette can also be used as a dressing for cooked vegetables (like beets) or grated carrot salad (another French kids’ favorite, often served at school lunches).
Crêpes (Savory and Sweet Pancakes)
Preparation: 5 minutes
Standing: 1 hour (optional)
Cooking: 2 minutes per crêpe
Servings: Makes 8 to 10 large crêpes
Brittany is famous for its crêpes (thin pancakes), and crêperies can be found all over the region. Stuffed with savories like ham, spinach, or egg, crêpes make a filling meal (think of them as a French version of tortillas). Our children love “crêpes night.” The anticipation of the sweet dessert crêpes puts them in a good mood, and I find that they’re more willing to try the new fillings in the savory dinner crêpes served first.
Once you get the trick of crêpes, they are fast, easy, and fun to make. The batter is usually foolproof, but the art of cooking the thin crêpes (with the right flick of the wrist at the right time) is something you learn with practice; I’d recommend watching an online video or two first, if this is your first time.
Batter
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour (presifted if possible)
3 cups milk (whole or 2 percent, but not skim), plus ½ cup water
2 tablespoons melted butter (or vegetable oil)
Optional: 1 pinch salt
Butter or vegetable oil for cooking
For dessert crêpes: 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Place the flour in a large bowl, make a well, and add the eggs. Slowly pour in the milk, and then the water, stirring gently but constantly. Don’t overmix. The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream (if not, add more milk to thin the mixture). If you can, let the batter sit for at least 1 hour on the counter or, preferably, overnight in the fridge (your crêpes will have a nice smooth texture).
2. In a separate bowl, set aside some of the batter (approximately one-third to one-half) for the dessert crêpes; into this dessert mixture, stir the sugar and vanilla.
Cooking the crêpes
The trick is to cook the crêpe in the right way, so that the filling can heat up and the crêpe can be crispy without being burnt. Here’s the method I use, taught to me by my mother-in-law.
1. Preheat a medium nonstick skillet to a medium-high temperature (just hot enough to make a drop of water “sputter”). Melt the butter (or vegetable oil) smoothly over the cooking surface (I use a bit of paper towel to spread it evenly). Pour in the batter (approximately ¼ to 1/3 cup per crêpe, depending on how thick you like them), while moving your wrist in a circular motion so that the batter forms a large circle (covering the entire surface of the frying pan). Do this quickly (as the batter dries almost instantly), using something from which it is easy to pour. The crêpe should be thin, so it will become crispy at the edges when cooked.
2. The crêpe should start turning golden around the edges within 30 to 40 seconds. When browned on the bottom, carefully loosen and lift the edges with a spatula, and flip. While the second side is browning, place the filling in half of the crêpe, smoothing it out evenly. By the time the underside is done, the filling should be perfectly warm. Fold in half over the filling, and serve immediately by sliding the crêpe onto a plate (or a warming pan placed in the oven).
Suggested savory spinach filling
The traditional filling in Brittany is fairly rich: a slice
