"Beau Monde, an authentic French crêperie, brings international flavor to Philadelphia."

Taste Light Bites

Beau Monde, an authentic French creperie, brings international flavor to Philadelphia

Eating light in the warmer weather is no excuse to skip dessert.

Despite soaring temperatures, the average sweet tooth is as active in the haze of summer as, it is during winter's frosty months. Dessert lovers may make a few concessions, and save the warm bread pudding with heavy cream for November. But we still want our sweets.

Which is why fruit-filled crepes are such a find. Crepe is the French word for pancake, and that is exactly what these feathery, thin

creations are. But don't even think Aunt Jemima -- those kind of pancakes are in a different neighborhood altogether. True French crepes are airy, pliant, embracing, They can be made sweet or savory, and filled with everything from juicy berries to ratatoullie. Crepes can be rolled, folded, flamed and filled, sauced or pizza is to Italy.

And for a warm weather dessert, sweet crepes just can't be beat.

Let Chef David Salama show you the way to crepe heaven. Salama and his partner Jim Caiola co-own Beau Monde, an authentic Breton creperie at 624 South 6th Street at Bainbridge in Philly (215-592-0656). Beau Monde, which means beautiful world in French, is a gorgeous, 65-seat space, enhanced by sensual fabrics, hand-wrought iron, a central fireplace, and exquisite hand painted and gilded wall panels, which Salama, who is also an artist, created himself.

His artistry shines equally brightly in the kitchen, where, traditional round Breton crepes, made from buckwheat flour are folded into 5-inch square pouches and stuffed with untold delicacies, from roasted chicken, leeks and olives to sweet corn give the diner room to create a personal masterpiece, with prices changing, depending on the number of fillings. Savory crepes come in at $10 or less; desserts, from $4 to $9.

If you're wondering how an authentic Breton creperie wound up in Philadelphia, the story begins with a family connection.

Caiola's Italian aunt married a man from Brittany, and the couple opened a Breton creperie in Chicago in 1972. Every summer. Caiola would work in his aunt's restaurant -- and he'd dream about chocolate crepes, and search for them in vain, whenever he wasn't there.

Meanwhile, he became a filmmaker, toiling 11 years to break into the international film festival circuit and working at places like The Discovery Channel to pay the rent.

"My next film was going to cost $300,000 before anybody got paid." he says. "It took me eight months to raise $2,000, 1 figured in another 18 years I might have the money."

Salama, was equally frustrated at pursuing his fine Art, spending more time painting the foyers of the rich than doing what he loved. "We were both sick of subsidizing our art at jobs that didn't make us happy," recalls Caiola. "We decided to change our daily activity, and let art become a really profound hobby instead of a lifestyle."

Caiola's earlier degree in hotel/restaurant management from Johnson & Wales University and Salama's lifelong devotion to food and frequent catering jobs made opening a restaurant a natural. Caiola pushed for a creperie, and a trip to Brittany and other creperies in the U.S. was next on the agenda.

"We loved the concept, and decided to take a chance that Philadelphia would too," says Caiola. Beau Monde opened in April, quickly winning over Philadelphia's loyal French population, who spread the word.

Most customers come in for a combo of savory and sweet, but Beau Monde gets its share of late night dessert eaters, pining for a sweet crepe fix. Chef Salama offers you a. basic sweet crepe recipe to try at home, and two suggested fillings -- although you can use any combination of fruit as a filling -- fresh peaches and berries sprinkled with a little sugar and a tablespoon or so of rum or port make an ideal summer dessert. Fillings should be as thick as sour cream, to keep your dessert from being too juicy.

           

"Crepes aren't hard to make, so don't be intimidated," he says. "The first one will be a disaster; the second one, less of a disaster, and by the third one, you'll get the hang of it. Ladle about 4 to 6 ounces of the batter in one quarter of the pan. Then it's just a matter of getting the hang of coating the pan and moving it, around. Just practice."

Sweet Crepes

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon dark rum

1 Cup pastry (you can substitute all-purpose flour but your crepes will be a little tougher than with pastry flour)

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons butter

In a large bowl, combine all liquid ingredients (eggs, milk, water, vanilla rum.) and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add flour and sugar and continue blending until all ingredients are incorporated and all the big lumps are gone. Melt the butter, and add to the mixture, blending again. Keep batter covered and refrigerated for at least 2 hours before using.

Caramelized Apples with Caramel Sauce

6 Granny Smith apples

2 tablespoons lemon juice

6 ounces butter

4 tablespoon dark rum

1 pinch ground cinnamon

Peel the apples and then halve them. Remove the inner core by slicing a triangular wedge lengthwise, making sure that all the core has been removed. Slice the apples into wedges and toss in lemon juice to prevent discolorization. Melt the butter in a sauce pan and stir in sugar. Cook slowly until the sugar is incorporated and the mixture foams. Add the apples to the mixture and cook gently until soft. Remove the apples and boil down the mixture until it thickens slightly. Set the mixture aside and when cool combine with apples.

Caramel Sauce

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

I quart heavy cream

Heat the sugar and water together over slow heat until the mixture turns a dark, caramel color. As soon as the caramel is made, add the heavy cream. Stirring constantly, incorporate the caramel into the cream until it melts. Set aside and keep at room temperature.

To assemble the crepe, place a crepe back into a non stick pan and add butter on the face of the crepe. Flip this sqaure crepe into a plate a drizzle the caramel over the crepe. Garnish with whipped crème.

Lemon Curd with Raspberries and Whipped Cream

Lemon curd:

3 ounces softened sweet butter

1 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

5 whole eggs

2/3 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Combine butter and sugar in a mixer and mix for approximately 3 minutes. Add eggs and mix for 2 more minutes. Add lemon juice and zest, (the mixture will look curdled).

Bring this mixture, to the stove, stir constantly until it thickens.

To assemble the crepe: butter the crepe in a pan over low heat and add the lemon curd and raspberries, allow this crepe to warm but not overheat.

Fold in a triangle and transfer to a plate, garnish with lemon curd, raspberries and whipped cream.