Culinary Program

Find culinary inspiration and helpful career information on topics such as cooking with chocolate, French and Greek cuisine, the life of a Chef, and what to expect in culinary school.

Does your sweet tooth lead you straight to your oven? Read how to avoid the pitfalls of cheese cake, bake creative cookies, use fresh fruits in baking, and more.

Catering and Restaurant Management

If you've ever prepared a Thanksgiving dinner, you know that cooking for a group takes planning and skill. Learn more about the art of catering and restaurant management, including specialized catering such as chocolates or high tea and how to prepare for a restaurant career.

Culinary Schools in the United States

With culinary schools in all 50 states and additional culinary education available online, you don't need to relocate unless you want to. Each state has its own special mixture of culture, cuisine, and locally grown agriculture that inspires the chefs and students who work and live there. If you're passionate about Maine lobster dishes, California cuisine, or any dish or state in between, you'll find a culinary school that is where you are or where you'd like to be.

Home | Culinary | Culinary Arts | Cooking up Classic French Cuisine: Le Crepe

Cooking up Classic French Cuisine: Le Crepe

Nothing says French cuisine quite like the crepe. According to culinary folklore, the famous pancake-like creation finds its origins as a cooking assistant's faux pas--a "mistake" that occurred when the addition of orange liquors lit the pancake on fire.

The tasty result spawned many a crepe recipe as a savory lunch or a tasty dessert. The crepe retains its reputation as a quintessential French delicacy and is acknowledged by famous chefs and culinary arts schools as a staple dish in any culinary career.

Crepe Suzette: The Recipe Tasted Round the World

Popularized in Brittany, France the crepe is now an international cuisine with countries all over the world cooking their own version of the airy, eclectic treat. While thousands of crepe variations exist, Crepe Suzette still remains the recipe of choice in restaurants and culinary arts schools because its sweet sugars and liquors never fail to impress.

Culinary Career in a Sturdy Pan

How has a flimsy little French pancake stirred up such a fuss? The answer lies in the perfect batter, mouth-watering ingredients, and critical crepe cooking utensils:

Batter: Consistency is key because it is the basis for the correct crepe. This is often the most difficult part of the recipe.
Skillet: Crepes without holes come from pans or crepieres with perfect surfaces. Using cookware flawlessly is a skill in itself.
Technique: Your goal is to create a flexible, golden sphere with a pocket to hold cheeses, vegetables, chocolate sauces, or fruits. For many chefs, a culinary career rests in concocting their crepe just so.

The top culinary arts schools never underestimate the value of the crepe in any young chef's cooking repertoire. If achieving the finest in French cuisine is your goal, cooking school is your best bet.

Sources
What's Cooking America (http://www.whatscookingamerica.net/History/CrepesSuzetteHistory.htm)
Find Articles: Crepes (http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_moJAW/is_2001_Fall/ai_79805067)

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