Sunday, May 1, 2011

Crepes: I like Mine Fresh and Fruity!



Crepes




So, i was watching Julia Child's show on DVD, and i came across this recipe she uses to make tasty-looking dessert crepes. i also read about crepes in cooks illustrated recently, and i really wanted to try it.
so this is what came up with, i used julia's basic recipe, but i tailored it to fit two servings.  i want to experiment with  a whole wheat flour version, and maybe a creme friache batter.





i know from previous experiences at Crepe Restaurants in SF that i love Crepes with Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, Fresh Strawberries and Blueberries. i made these with a side of oven roasted potatoes and omelets, and it made a tasty breakfast as well as a memorable breakfast-for-dinner.


RECIPE
Makes about four 5" crepes, enough for 2 servings.
BATTER:
1 egg yolk
1/2 Cup Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Milk
1 1/2 TBS melted butter Plus more butter for cooking (Approx 1tbs)
Plus 1 TBS Melted Butter and 2 tsp sugar
FILLING:
3 TBS Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (Such as Nutella)
4 Med/Lrg Fresh Strawberries, Sliced
1/4 Fresh blueberries

Whisk flour and salt together. Mix in egg, water, and milk till you get a smooth batter. You can do this in a food processor too, but i don;t like dirtying a lot of dishes, and it is very easy to mix by hand. Set aside. prepare filling ingredients, and heat pan. Put enough butter in the hot pan to make a thin coating. pour batter in pan to make a thin layer, as shown in slideshow. cook about 2minutes, or until loose from pan when shaken. flip carefully. Cook on second side about 1-2 minutes. turn onto a plate. repeat till you use up your batter. Carefully spread chocolate spread onto crepe, fill, and roll, as shown. repeat, lining crepes up on an oven proof plate or dish, folded side down. drizzle or paint melted butter over tops of rolled crepes and sprinkle with sugar. Place under broiler and heat till sugar is caramelized, watching carefully, about 3-5 minutes. Served topped with creme friache or whipped cream.



 OTHER FLAVORS:
Wow! there are hundreds of things you could do with crepes once you have a pile on a plate to play with. The first time i tested this recipe, i did not have berries, and i used sliced bananas and chopped nuts as a filling, which came out really nice. if you try something and you love it, lemme know!

CHEAPER:
You can substitute peanut butter for nutella. it's definately a bit cheaper and more handy for most folks. you can also use frozen rather than fresh berries. for the batter, it is pretty basic, so it's very inexpensive.


FASTER:
You can make the batter a few hours in advance to save time. You may have to thin it again with a splash of water to get a nice pourable consistency. This will depend on the flour in your batter. Julia suggests making them ahead and freezing them, i have not tried this, and since i am not a fan of freezing food really, i probably won't.

HEALTHIER:
as i said at the top of the post, i am hoping to someday work out a whole wheat version of this recipe. i will post again when i do. Till then, you can use egg white rather than yolk, skim milk, and olive oil (or other healthful oil) rather than melted butter. substitute unsweetened nut butter such as almond or peanut for nutella, omit sugar topping step, and top with yogurt.


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