Often after a hearty dinner at home with family, no matter how filling the meal was, I crave dessert. When looking around the room, I can tell from the look on everyone’s face, that they too are hungry for something sweet. When that type of hankering takes over, there is no dismissing it. So as designated chef, I approach the kitchen to whip up a sweet treat.
Lately, for these improvised desserts, I’ve been preparing crepes, something I haven’t done on a regular basis since savory baked crêpes (in Italian “crespelle”) were a staple on my Tuscan menu at Osteria del Gallo Nero. In doing so, I’ve created all sorts of new sweet crêpe recipes, depending on what I find in the fridge.
The dish in the picture below has two types of crepes that I made at our cousins’ house over the weekend. I must mention that the youngest daughter of their family, Aia, who has yet to reach her teens, helped prepare the crepes this time. She aspires to become a pastry chef, and if her creativity and exemplary performance in the kitchen this weekend is telling, I think she has a very promising future in the kitchen.
A Description of What’s on the Plate:
I don’t include measurements here because there is no set way to make these crepes. Have fun with them and try new flavor combinations. Just make sure that the crêpe filling is neither too thick nor too thin. It should be firm but easily spreadable.
The triange shaped crêpe, pictured above, is stuffed with a creamy mixture of ricotta cheese, raw honey, lemon rind, vanilla extract and crumbled pieces of lemon Girl Scout cookies. I topped it with a berry sauce made from strawberries, blueberries, lemon juice and fresh mint, which lends a refreshing aroma to the dish. Finally, the Girl Scout cookie crumble is dusted on top of the crepe. When preparing the berry sauce, Aia decided to puree only half of the sauce. She said it would make the sauce richer and thicker, but still textured as we would still see some bits of berry. She was right on.
The cylinder-shaped crêpe, also picture above, is stuffed with chunks of peeled apple that were stewed with cinnamon, butter and nutmeg. It is topped with caramel cream and some whipped cream spiced with a touch of nutmeg, vanilla, tumeric (hence its yellow color). It is dusted with cinnamon sugar.
Other crepes I’ve made include:
A crêpe stuffed with a cooked banana, rum-flavored extract and toasted walnut mixture, which I drizzled with chocolate ganache and sprinkled with some finely chopped salted nuts.
and…
A crepe filled with a citrus sauce. I cooked meyer lemons, blood oranges and tangelo with their own juices, sugar and water until the liquid reduced to a syrup. It was topped simply with some grated citrus rind and confectioner’s sugar.
and finally…
Coffee flavored crepes spread with a cream made from halva (a sweet bar made from sesame seed paste) that I mixed with a touch of cardamom powder, coffee extract and mascarpone in a Cuisinart. It was topped with a coffee and cinnamon flavored cream, shredded filo dough and finely chopped unsalted pistachio nuts.
My adaptation of a French-style crêpe batter:
This recipe will yield around 18 8 inch crepes. But when making crepes, its best to overestimate the amount you need to make. Its common that the first few crepes don’t come out as expected due to the pan’s temperature being too hot or too cool.
2 cups Flour
a pinch of Salt
a few pinches of Sugar (omit if making savory crepes)
4 Eggs
2 1/2 cups Milk
1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract or 1/2 pod of Vanilla Bean
3-4 tablespoons of browned melted Butter (Melt butter in a pan and allow it to get brown. Make sure though not to burn it)
1 tablespoon of Vegetable Oil
How to Prepare Batter:
1. Sift flour and mix with salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
2. Make a well and pour in eggs. Beat the eggs to slowly incorporate the flour mixture that surrounds it. Be gentle, otherwise lumps of flour could form.
3. Slowly pour in milk while stirring. Keep stirring batter until small bubbles form on the surface.
4. Stir in browned butter.
General rule of thumb: if the batter seems thicker than cream, add some water, and/or a little more milk.
How to Prepare Crêpes:
1. Pour a little vegetable oil on a folded paper towel, and wipe it on a 8″ pan evenly.
2. Pour in about 3 tablespoons of batter. After pouring in the batter, use your wrist to move the pan, spreading the batter evenly and covering the whole surface with a thin layer.
3. Let cook for about 1 minute. Then, flip and cook the other side for about 30 seconds. Its best to flip the crepe with your fingers, because its very delicate.
Repeat these steps until you are out of batter, stacking cooked crepes on a plate.
