French Themed Dessert For 6th Gr. French Class?

[michele cindy]

My daughter volunteered to bake a dessert for her French Class, needs to feed 30. She wanted to bake French macaron's but I don't have the patience or the budget to feed an entire class at the moment. She is a pretty good baker @11. Any suggestions for something that's French in origin, simple, & inexpensive to bake for a group?

[michele cindy]

We are i the midst of making the choux puffs. Question - can I leave them out overnight, they are not filled with anything... Thanks!

[sunshine842]

Just be aware that they'll draw a little damp and will deflate.

[michele cindy]

Thanks - I ended up not putting them in the fridge. The funniest thing was I turned on a cooking show, and Jaques Pepin, was also preparing a choux pastry, he was frying his. We did it together :)

[krissywats]

Concorde cake is delicious and feeds many and not terribly difficult: large chocolate meringue discs baked and then when cooled, layered with chocolate mousse. I have made it several times with chocolate meringue and chocolate mousse and then frosted the outside with a not too sweet swiss buttercream and dusted with cocoa. Sort of an easy show-stopper.

[jwg]

my son's 6th grade French class made crepes and it was a big hit. The children made them in the home ec room.

[HillJ]

Definately crepes. Easy to make ahead, to fill with fruit jam, applesauce, Nutella (if permitted), etc., and inexpensive.

[michele cindy]

How do you make the crepe without a crepe pan? Mine always come out more like pancakes!

[HillJ]

Crepe batter is thinner than pancake batter. The trick is to use a pan that provides the most spreadable space. Think of it in terms of making a thin omelette. You don't need a special pan you just need the right technique. Once the batter is poured swirl it around the entire base of the pan; don't let it pool like a pancake. Flip once the first side is lightly browned and then remove once the flipped side is cooked thru. Stack on a plate and keep going until the batter is used.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-2E2W...
(sorry about the music, and u can omit the orange liquor)

[sandylc]

You are putting too much batter in the pan, michele cindy. It should thinly cover the bottom of a small nonstick skillet.

Crepe pans are nonsense.

[sunshine842]

I use my crepe pan as a small griddle.

[wyogal]

Yep, I've never had a crepe pan. I make Swedish pancakes all the time, in a stainless steel frying pan. I also give the first one to the dog, but the rest come out great.

[michele cindy]

I see now from HillJ's video. I was always nervous when the crepe batter looked so thin, I'm going to give them another go. Thanks for all the info.

[HillJ]

I enjoy the speed of making crepes far more than the time it takes to make pancakes. Once you make your first super delicious, successful crepe mc, you are going to look for reasons to make them :)

enjoy!

[michele cindy]

I did it! They came out great. Thanks - I don't think I would have made them if it weren't for the ease of the blender. I ended up with a basic recipe from Epicurious. If too called for brandy, I just added a tblsp of Frangelico instead, you could barely taste it, but it added a hint of a nutty flavor. Now from here, my next step will be to make blintzes. The batter seems pretty similar. Thanks again!!

[HillJ]

Wow, good for you! I love Frangelico. Blintzes, oh yum! I typically use up mashed potatoes for blintzes.

[masha]

When I was in college, our teacher of Conversational French, who was herself French, invited the class to her home for what she described as a classic French lunch. As I recall, she served Pears Belle Helene for dessert. Not sure how easy it would be to transport or how it would fit into your budget but ....

[bblonde]

When I was in highschool, French club sold crepes with nutella, sometimes adding strawberries or bananas. They were a big hit. Store-bought crepes make this ridiculously easy, but if that is not in your budget, you could certainly make them, though the process will be much more tedious.

A buche de Noel was another favorite, but as it is not Christmastime...

[chinaplate]

I made crepes all the time for French club! The great thing is that you and your daughter can make them ahead, stack them with a sheet of wax paper between, and fridge or freeze for a good long while. Then just reheat, spread with nutella (or homemade chocolate spread to save some $), fold and bring to school.

[sunshine842]

How about chouquettes (small choux pastries with sugar)? They're less a dessert than just a sweet snack, but they tick all your boxes...you can get sanding sugar from King Arthur if you can't find it locally.

[critter101]

Profiteroles - make small, bite-sized ones. They're fairly easy and require no special equipment. You can fill them with a simple pudding or pastry cream and top with a bit of chocolate glaze. There are plenty of recipes on the internet.

[sandylc]

+1.

[Erika L]

Another vote. Super EZ, fast to make, the only trick is to not open the oven while they're baking. She can make 2 or 3 diff fillings, for variety.

[wyogal]

Here's a site: http://www.saveur.com/article/-/Frenc...
The cookies look good. (punitions)

[michele cindy]

Perfect timing! Thanks - All of these ideas from everyone are great.

[Jpan99]

Madeleines would be easy to make and transport, only problem is you would need a madeleine pan so if you don't already have one then probably too expensive.

[Christina D]

French meringues? I haven't used this recipe, but my mother makes something similar every Christmas and my brother eats them like M&M's.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/authenti...

[sbp]

Definitely meringues. Simple to make, CHEAP (egg whites and sugar!). You can add flavoring if you want (vanilla, almond extract, coconut extract, cocoa powder, etc....), and kid friendly.