Readers of THE NIBBLE know how much we love Lady M’s Mille Crêpes Cakes: delicate, elegant, exquisite, ethereal bites that are perfect for special celebrations.

We also serve them at dinner parties where we want something impressive for dessert but need it to be on the light side.

In addition to the year-round menu of flavors, there are always wonderful seasonal specialties.

Right now, it’s Champagne Mille Crêpes Cake.

It’s a dazzling centerpiece, even more dazzling on the fork.

Champagne Mille Crêpes Cake starts with the company’s classic Signature Mille Crêpes Cake.

For this special flavor, a touch of fresh strawberries is whipped into the pastry cream. The cream is then hand-brushed between all 20 crêpe layers. 

The cake is topped with lush Champagne gelée—such a generous touch of Champagne that Lady M says “you’ll have to show a 21+ ID card before purchasing in boutiques.” They mean it!

The cake serves 10-14 people.

Order yours at LadyM.com.
 
 
WHAT’S A MILLE CRÊPES CAKE?

What’s a Mille Crêpes cake? It’s a stack of paper-thin crêpes. The crêpes themselves are the same as those you might order for brunch, where they are rolled up with a filling.

In a Crêpe Cake, on the other hand, nothing is rolled: The flat crêpes are brushed with light pastry cream and stacked (see photo #3).

At Lady M, the top crêpe becomes a caramelized crust. Then, each flavor of crêpe cake is finished with its own special garnish.

This leads us to a disclosure: While “mille crêpes” indicates that there are 1,000 crêpes (mille, pronounced meel, is the number one thousand in French), there are actually some 20 crêpes in each cake, each crêpe handmade in the Lady M kitchens.

> The history of Mille Crepes Cake.
 
 
LADY M CRÊPE MILLE CRÊPES CAKE YEAR-ROUND FLAVORS

While there are seasonal flavors, the current roster of 9-inch Mille Crêpes Cakes includes:

 
There are seasonal flavors: Chestnut for the holidays, Champagne for the new year, Passion Fruit for the summer, and so on. Keep checking and you may find Purple Yam, Red Bean, and Salted Caramel.

You can even order a three-tier wedding cake, each layer made of “mille” crêpes.

And the website currently offers these specialty flavors: Truffle Mille Crêpes Cake, Purple Yam “Ube” Milles Crêpes Cake, Jasmine Calamansi Mille Crêpes Cake, and Passion Fruit Mille Crêpes Cake.

There are also scrumptious layer cakes and for October-November, a Pumpkin Nuage* (photo #6).

What’s a Pumpkin Nuage? Combine the best elements of pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake, gently spiced with cinnamon, and add a touch of Lady M’s refined elegance. Plus, the most finely crushed graham cracker crust we’ve ever seen.
 
 
ABOUT LADY M

Lady M is a New York City maker of luxury confections, with more than 50 boutiques worldwide. Established in 2001, Lady M is the creator of the world-famous Mille Crêpes Cake.

Lady M marries French pastry techniques with Japanese sensibilities, resulting in delicate cakes that are a touch sweet and perfect for every occasion.

All cakes are handmade and prepared fresh without food additives or preservatives. The crêpes cakes are a very special treat, although Lady M makes a variety of delectable cakes and confections. Learn more at LadyM.com.
 
 
BAKE YOUR OWN: CRÊPE RECIPES

Are you up for making paper-thin crêpes? Check out these recipes.

[1] The new limited edition for December: Champagne Mille Crêpes Cake (all photos © Lady M).

[2] A slice of Butter Pecan, with nuggets of candied pecans scattered between the layers for crunch.

[3] Making a Mille Crêpes cake (with just 20 layers, not 1,000).

[4] A popular flavor: Chocolate Mille Crêpes Cake.

[5] Also a fan favorite: Pistachio Mille Crêpes Cake.

[6] Earl Grey Mille Crêpes Cake is available year-round.

*Nuage, pronounced new-AHJ, means cloud in French. There are different kinds of cloud cake, but they all aim to be light and airy.
 
 

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[1] A Christmas wreath of ice cream and fruit (photo © Tillamook County Creamery Association | Facebook).

[2] Kadota figs. Any figs work here, all have reddish interiors. But green-skinned figs add more external color than darker hues (photo © California Figs).

[3] Raspberries dot the wreath with color (photo © Driscoll’s Berries).

This easy-to-make Christmas dessert is both elegant and food fun at the same time. An ice cream wreath is a treat anytime during the Christmas season.

The ice cream wreath is easy to put together with your choice of ice creams and fruits.

Matcha and strawberry ice cream deliver holiday colors, and vanilla is always correct.

The result: You spoon the ice cream and fruit into dishes for an instant sundae! No topping is needed, but we recommend a fruit sauce instead of caramel or chocolate. We like the raspberry sauce recipe below.
 
 
RECIPE #1: ICE CREAM WREATH 
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE the fruits. Most require nothing beyond washing; only the figs need to be sliced.

If you want to add pears, slice them right before serving or they will brown; or use this technique:

Mix 1/4 cup water and 3 tablespoons of strained lemon juice. Dip the pear slice into the water.

2. PLACE the fruits in a wreath shape on a round platter.

3. PRE-SCOOP the ice cream into balls and return to the freezer.

4. ADD the ice cream when you are ready to bring the platter to the table. Pass the optional fruit sauce.
 
 
RECIPE #2: GRAND MARNIER RASPBERRY SAUCE 

You can use any orange liqueur instead of Grand Marnier, or a raspberry liqueur like Chambord. You can make the sauce up to two days in advance and keep it covered tightly in the fridge.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the ingredients in a bowl or pitcher and allow them to blend in the refrigerator for 2 hours or longer.
 
 
> The history of ice cream.
 
> The history of the ice cream sundae.

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December 21st is National Fried Shrimp Day. We have a tasty recipe below with a panko/macadamia nut crust. But first, inquiring minds want to know the differences between crayfish, prawns, and shrimp:

 
For The Aïoli (Garlic Mayonnaise)

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the aïoli. Crush the garlic clove and place it in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, the egg yolk, and mustard, and whisk until well combined. Add a few drops of oil, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts to thicken.

2. SLOWLY POUR in the remaining oil in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly until the mayonnaise is combined and the texture is thick and creamy. Add the lemon juice in 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired tanginess is reached.

3. BEGIN the shrimp. Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Crack the eggs into a bowl and lightly whisk with a fork.

4. PULSE the macadamias in a blender to the size or smaller of the breadcrumbs, and combine with the breadcrumbs.

5. DUST the shrimp in the spiced flour, dip in the egg yolk, and then roll them in the macadamia breadcrumb mix.

6. HEAT the oil to approximately 350°F/180°C. If you don’t have a thermometer, to test the hotness, drop a piece of bread into the oil: It should turn golden brown in about 10 seconds. Once the oil has reached the required temperature, drop about 10 shrimp in and cook until they are golden brown. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Repeat with remaining shrimp.

7. SERVE with the aïoli dipping sauce.
 
 
MORE FRIED SHRIMP RECIPES 

[1] Macadamia-crusted shrimp (photo © Australian Macadamias).

[2] Jumbo wild Gulf raw shrimp (photo © Sea 2 Table).

[3] Macadamia nuts are native to Australia (photo © Australian Macadamias | Facebook).

[4] Panko Japanese-style breadcrumbs (photo © Good Eggs).

[5] Cayenne powder, ground from dried cayenne chile peppers (photo © McCormick).

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