Let them eat crêpe!
Oh, là là ! Ms Jalili’s Year 9 Food Technology students have been channelling all things ‘français’ this week, making deliciously light, sweet and savoury crêpes.
In the words of Mary Antoinette, ‘Let them eat crêpe!’ Okay, so she might have said cake, but whatever she said, there’s no doubt that the soft, doughy pancake is no competition for its more sophisticated cousin, the fancy French crêpe. And as Ms Jalili’s students demonstrated in their Food Tech class this week, the French crêpe is lighter and crisper than the pancake, making it much better suited to fancier preparations than its more stolid counterpart.
So, with mince pies and plum puddings still a couple of months away, our students whipped up piles of mouth-watering crêpes to rival those dispensed from tiny stands at any French market or fair.
Yes of course, they let their batter rest before using it, as, according to the science behind the crêpe, the rest period gives the protein in the batter time to relax and the starch time to expand. Then, using hot plates and tiny paddles, they spread their batter as thinly as possible in order to make the delicately lacy edges that distinguish a crêpe from a pancake.
The students made piles of delicious savoury crêpes, oozing with melted cheese and ham, and they made stacks of sweet crêpes, doused in lemon and sugar or slathered with whipped cream, chocolate and strawberries.
Of course, as any crêpe connoisseur can tell you, the best crêpes are wolfed down hot and hissing from the pan – which is of course, one of the perks of studying Food Tech!
Food Technology is a relatively new addition to the Wenona curriculum and forms part of the Technology and Applied Studies (TAS) umbrella. The subject aims to increase students’ knowledge about food, nutrition and the design process, enabling them to develop and produce high quality food products from around the world. And with the opening of the new Food Tech kitchen in The Athenaeum, it’s become a popular elective choice with our Year 9 students.
In the coming weeks, the students will also be learning how to become architectural cake designers, inspired by leading pastry chef, Dinara Kasko. She has earned a global reputation for her highly experimental cakes, making clever use of 3D printing technology to bring her geometric designs to life, and often using ‘biomimicry’ to express the beauty she finds in nature.
Our students have used design software, Fusion 360 to create computer models for their cake moulds. By playing with algorithms and geometry and using 3D printing technology, they’ve devised their own customised silicone cake moulds.
We can’t wait to see their cakes come to life!