Pasadena is not all about Rose Queens and debutantes or Penny loafers and posh hotels. Along the edges, nearing the fringe Bijouxs and The Rippler created an unexpected gem. Inspired by art and culture, the storied past of Pasadena; more underground than Paseo, after hours than high tea, Pop art than prep school -The Crepe Brulee – a confection well loved in the tea salons of Paris transforms to lust worthy in the atelier of Bijouxs – another little jewel from the kitchen.
Bijouxs and The Rippler met at camp and instantly bonded over immaculately curated bunkrooms (think Pendleton blankets, leather steamer trunks and vintage oil lamps) and an aversion to mingling, it was no surprise to learn they both hail from Pasadena.
The Crepe Brulee began as a potential pink & green kitsch ode to our lovely city and ended in a subtly sexy, glamorous dessert. The established camp connection between Bijouxs and Christy Larsen of Fudge Ripple (AKA the Rippler) lead to a cooking and photography collaboration in the Bijouxs kitchen studio.
The Rippler brought her A-game creating a beautifully original confection, the Crepe Brulee, which is both unique and entirely delicious. After all, Christy is a formally trained pastry chef so this confection creation makes perfect sense. Bijouxs brought her way of seeing through the lens, simplicity is elegance, and the resulting images capture the almost art-like quality of this confection – the beauty of collaboration.
The Crepe Brulee, inspired by the classic French mille feuille (thousand layer) cake, is a not too sweet cake; the gentle tea green tea flavor of the crepes is complemented perfectly by the slightly tart, palest of pink raspberry filling. The cooked crepes are stacked with layers of the raspberry filling and then the brulee process begins. Bijouxs learned to use demerara sugar for the brulee while watching the pastry chef at work, with a hardware store torch in hand, carefully browning the top of the cake in two steps, the secret to a crispy brown sugar crown. A final light dusting of matcha green tea powder and the Crepe Brulee is gorgeous. Yet, even with all her glamour, the Crepe Brulee is a dessert that with a little planning to prepare the recipe components is something you can master, a doable showstopper.
Sharing, a Bijouxs core tenant, created a joyful cooking collaboration and the Crepe Brulee – proof that the journey exploring food is ongoing–there are no stops you never arrive. To learn more about my friend The Rippler….
As always, enjoy. B
love, Love, LOVE
-the rip
Thank you to my very talented friend! B.
Wow! A double palate/palette pleaser from two of my favorite campers! This is stunning, and what I would have given to be a fly on the Bijouxs wall during the prepping of this! Especially when the begoggled Rippler took out her ginormous blow torch! Bravo, ladies! A precious Bijouxs, indeed!
Hi Lentil! We did think about you as we were working, thinking you would be cracking at the two Pasadena girls – it was great fun. Thank you!
wow…this looks amazing!!! I can’t wait to try it!
Thank you! It really is delicious!
There are some days that I happen by the Bijouxs test kitchen (not by accident) and am met with fun friendship and a terrific and tasty treat to try…and then there was the day I happened upon, yes unexpected and by accident, the curious and luscious crepe brulee. Really, a cake made out of crepes? Show me! It was, is …and hopefully will be when I make it… STUNNING! The green tea and raspberry flavors are a delightful compliment to the luxurious texture of light crepes. Simply put, more please!
So happy you could drop by the Bijouxs kitchen/studio and enjoyed sharing this lovely original cake! Best from Bijouxs.
Love this! Quick question. If I don’t have a crepe pan do you think I can use my non-stick griddle to achieve the crepes? Thanks and xo
Hi Gina! You could try a small non-stick skillet to create the crepes – the key is uniform size and thickness. I know Overstock had some crepe pans that were very reasonable:) Thanks for checking in with Bijouxs! Let us know if you find another method for the crepes.
You have out done yourself this time….I was salivating while reading. As always a great looking sunday treat!!
xoxo M
Hi Monique! This cake was a beauty to photograph, thanks to my collaboration with Christy. Thank you!
Elegantly prepared! Beautiful layered crepe…I am currently collecting crepe recipes since I have a new crepe maker (a gift from my mom in law…Love u Mom! I’ll send you some slices as soon as I have this perfectly crafted, I know we get to meet at certain blogs 😉
Thanks for this lovely treat!
Stunning! Just a beautiful idea, post, and photos all in one. Lovely 🙂
Wow! What an incredible looking dessert. Lovely shots.
Beautiful! I’ve always wanted to make a crepe cake and you’ve inspired me!
Thank you so much! Really, this beauty of a cake is doable and the taste is out of this world! Thank you being a part of Bijouxs!
Wow!!! 🙂
Soooooooo inspired by this! Am definitely going to try it! :))
I did this (two of them!) for a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving crowd of 17. AND I did it gluten-free! It worked wonderfully.
I substituted Jules gluten free flour (www.JulesGlutenFree.com) 1:1 for the regular flour in the recipe. About two-thirds of a cup of batter covered my 9 1/2 inch crepe pan. As the crepe starts to set up, gently start easing it up around the edges and work your way in. Flip it over, give it another minute or so, and you’re good to go.
At first I thought about leaving out the mata, but everyone agreed it provided an interesting and unique flavor twist.
A couple of leftover crepes became an improvised snack. Tuck some jam inside one of these crepes, roll it up, put a little powdered sugar on top, and you’ve got something really nice. I’m thinking of combining jam and mascarpone.
Try this. You’ll like it.