Dessert Crepe Batter

4 eggs
1 c. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 c. milk
¼ c. water
1 tbsp. melted butter

1. Beat eggs in a bowl.
2. Add a little bit of the flour and sugar. Use an electric mixer or whisk to combine. Then add a little bit of the milk and water. Mix. Repeat until all of the flour, sugar, milk, and water are added. Then beat with a whisk or electric mixer until smooth.
3. Beat in melted butter.
4. Chill batter at least 1 hour.
5. Cook in a crepe pan as described in the recipe for basic crepe batter (see recipe on previous page).

Preparation time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes 20 to 25 crepes

Chocolate Mousse / Mousse au Chocolat

Chocolate mousse is often made with unsweetened chocolate and has a bitter, strong flavor.This recipe, however, is for a light, sweet-tasting mousse that is sure to appeal to all chocolate lovers.

1 envelope unsweetened gelatin powder
¼ c. cold water
2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
1 square semisweet baking chocolate
½ c. milk
½ c. sugar
1 pt. heavy cream

1. In a medium bowl, combine gelatin with water and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine milk and chocolate. Over low heat, stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Add the sugar. Stir until it dissolves completely. Let cool.
3. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the heavy cream until it thickens and forms soft peaks.
4. Pour the chocolate mixture into a large mixing bowl. Use a spoon to combine the gelatin mixture with the chocolate.
5. Use a rubber scraper to fold one-third of the cream into the chocolate. Fold in remaining cream.
6. Pour into an attractive serving bowl or into individual serving dishes and cover with plastic wrap.
7. Cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. Decorate with whipped cream or grated sweet chocolate before serving.

Preparation time: 15 minutes,
Chilling time: 2 hours
Serves 4

Traditional Leg of Lamb with White Beans / Mouton aux Morgettes

8 c. water
1 tbsp. margarine or butter
4 small onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 small tomatoes, peeled* and seeded**
2 tbsp. thyme
2 c. water
1- to 3-lb. leg of lamb
4 to 6 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. margarine or butter
salt to taste
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 lb. dried white (Great Northern) beans

1. Place the beans in a large pot and cover them with 8 c. water.
2. Boil beans for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. In the same pot, melt the butter on low heat. Add the onions and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, or until translucent.
4. Add the beans, the minced garlic clove, tomatoes, thyme, and 2 c. water.
5. Cover the pan and simmer on low heat for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. If water evaporates, add another cup.
6. While beans are simmering, heat oven to 425°F. Wash meat under cool water. Pat dry with a paper towel. Place the leg of lamb in a roasting pan.
7. Peel 4 to 6 cloves of garlic and slice each of them down the middle. Make small cuts in the sides of the roast and insert garlic.
8. Sprinkle the meat with salt and bake for 30 to 45 minutes. (Allow 10 to 15 minutes of baking time for each pound.) Baste frequently with drippings.
9. Sprinkle finely chopped fresh parsley over the beans. Dot the beans with butter or margarine when ready to serve with the lamb.

Preparation time: 2 hours
Serves 6

*To peel a tomato, place it in a small saucepan of boiling water for about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and cool until the tomato is warm but no longer hot. Use a small paring knife to peel off the skin. It will come off easily.
**To seed a tomato, cut the peeled tomato in half and use a paring knife to cut out the seeds.

Strawberry Tartlets / Tartes aux Fraises

Crust:*
1½ c. flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp. sugar
4 tbsp. butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1 egg slightly beaten
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:
2 lb. fresh strawberries, stems removed
10 tsp. raspberry or strawberry preserves
whipped cream or nondairy topping
chocolate shavings (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter to the flour mixture. With a fork or pastry blender, work the butter into the dry ingredients until small "pebbles" begin to form.
3. Add the egg and vanilla. When the dough begins to stick together, use your hands to shape it into two large balls. Wrap the balls in plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
4. Remove from the refrigerator. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin.
5. Place the miniature pie tins facedown on the dough. Using a paring knife, cut around the tins. Transfer the dough to the tins. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the crust is golden and cooked through.
6. Just before serving, spread 1 tsp. fruit preserves on the bottom of each tartlet. Top with 4 or 5 fresh strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Chilling time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 10 to 15 minutes
Serves 10

*If you do not have miniature tart tins, look for mini tart crusts in the freezer section at the local grocery store. Bake as directed on the package.

King’s Cake / Galette des Rois

To serve the galette des rois, place the crown on top of it. Cut into slices.Whoever finds the bean will be crowned king or queen for the day.

1¼ lb. frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 eggs
7 oz. pure almond paste* (softened)
1 dried bean (such as a pinto, kidney, or Great Northern bean)
1 cardboard crown (available at a dime store or party store)

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. On a piece of wax paper, use a rolling pin to roll the puff pastry into a disk œ-inch thick. Use the wax paper to transfer the disk to a greased cookie sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mix 1 egg with almond paste until smooth. Spread the mixture evenly onto the pastry. Place the bean on the almond paste.
3. On the wax paper, roll out a second disk Π-inch thick. Place this disk on top of the almond-filled disk and press it down tightly around the rim.
4. In a small bowl, use a whisk or a fork to lightly beat the remaining egg. Use a pastry brush to spread it on top of the disks.
5. Bake the galette for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 400°F.
6. Continue baking for another 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 45 minutes
Serves 8

*If you cannot find pure almond paste in the grocery store, make the recipe for Vanilla Pastry Cream on page 66. Substitute almond extract for the vanilla extract.

Yule Log / Bûche de Noël

Filling (Vanilla Pastry Cream):
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 c. 1% lowfat milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3 tbsp. sugar

1. Place the cornstarch in a small nonstick saucepan. Whisk in ¼c. of the milk until smooth.
2. Whisk in the remaining ³/₄ c. milk.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and cook for one minute. Remove from heat. Add the vanilla extract.
4. In a small bowl, beat together the egg, egg yolk, and sugar. Continue stirring while you stir in a small amount of the warm milk mixture (2 to 3 tbsp.) to the egg mixture. (This will keep the eggs from cooking when you add them to the saucepan.)
5. While stirring the milk mixture in the saucepan, add the egg mixture.
6. Cook the egg-milk mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, or until the mixture has thickened.
7. Use the pastry cream warm or chilled. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Cake:
4 large egg whites
½ c. granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
1½ c. plus 2 tbsp. sifted all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. powdered sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a jelly-roll pan* with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine egg whites and 3 tbsp. of the granulated sugar. Beat with a mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.
3. Beat in ¼ c. of the remaining granulated sugar. Beat on high speed until the whites are stiff and shiny.
4. In a large bowl, combine egg yolks and the remaining granulated sugar. Beat with the mixer on high speed until the mixture is pale and airy.
5. Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the yolks. When well blended, carefully fold in the flour until well mixed.
6. Spoon batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake 9 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack. Let stand for 5 minutes.
7. Dust a large piece of parchment paper with powdered sugar. Carefully turn the cake onto the paper. Spread the pastry cream over the surface of the cake. Using both hands, roll the cake lengthwise into a tight log.
8. Lift the parchment paper and transfer the cake to a serving platter; remove paper. Sprinkle yule log with powdered sugar.

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Serves 8

*If you dont have a jelly-roll pan, you can use a cookie sheet.

The Yule log is a traditional Christmas dessert in France.

Fresh Asparagus with Aioli / Asperges à l’Aioli

Asparagus:
1 lb. asparagus
½ tsp. salt
4 tbsp. (½ stick) unsalted butter*
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Aioli:**
1½ c. reduced-fat mayonnaise
4 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed
1½ tbsp. lemon juice
1½ tbsp. Dijon mustard
æ tsp. dried tarragon

1. Rinse the asparagus and cut off the woody ends.
2. Fill a steamer with about an inch of water. Add the asparagus to the basket. Cover and steam for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the stalks. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and then dry with paper towels.
3. To make aioli: While asparagus is steaming, combine mayonnaise, garlic cloves, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and dried tarragon in a bowl. Refrigerate. (Makes 1½ c.)
4. Top the cold asparagus with aioli or classic vinaigrette (Green Salad recipe).

Preparation time: 15 to 20 minutes

*For a low-fat alternative, sprinkle hot asparagus with a little lemon juice instead of adding butter or margarine.
**Aioli may be stored in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed jar for up to one week.

Asparagus with aioli can be savored at holidays or anytime fresh asparagus is available.