Julia Child was right: the best recipes are often the simplest.
Case in point: crepes.
For years I shied away from crepes, thinking they were a too-fussy, too-demanding French food. All that changed a few days ago. I went to my friend Michelle’s house. Michelle was born and raised in France and still lives her life with a wonderful European flair. When we arrived at her house, she had set up a “crepe bar.” There was a pile of about 3 dozen thin-as-paper crepes, and then sliced fruits, whipped cream and a few sauces. We took the crepes and folded them, made a pile of them on our plates and then added toppings. I was marveling at the elegant simplicity of this, and then she shared with me the secrets of crepes.
It turns out they are frugal, easy to make and store, and incredibly flexible. Once every week or two, Michelle makes 5 dozen crepes and stacks them and stashes them covered in her fridge. Her family feasts on them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and all snacks in between! They sit patiently awaiting for up to two weeks in the fridge for some lucky hungry person to happen by. Wow! They DO NOT stick together, as I had thought they would, but just peel off one at a time from the pile. They can be folded with a little ricotta inside and then topped with a million different things- perfect for leftover bits of meat and cheeses and a drizzle of a pan sauce, or with sliced fruits for a quick delicious dessert. I especially like the folded presentation – rolling is more time intensive and fussy.
So, crepes will become a new standby at the Kellys’ – they are equally fabulous and frugal!!!
Crepes take only about a minute per crepe to cook – this recipe makes about 24. It is well worth the time to make a huge batch and then stash them in the fridge for almost instant meals!
I made a wonderful ricotta filling — it can be either sweet (I added a little powdered sugar) or savory (you could add a bit of garlic powder or other savory seasonings). It is fluffy and delicious!
RICOTTA-STUFFED FOLDED CREPES
2 cups 2 percent milk
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons powdered sugar*
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
6 large strawberries
Blend in blender the milk, eggs, salt, flour and butter. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours.
Heat a small skillet to medium heat. Spray with a little non-stick cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into center of pan and then roll pan until bottom is evenly coated with batter. Cook about 1 minute, until top of crepe looks dry. Turn over and cook another minute or so until cooked through and lightly browned. Repeat for 24 total crepes.
Process in food processor all remaining ingredients except strawberries until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Hull the strawberries and then slice strawberries lengthwise into four slices.
To assemble, spread 2 tablespoons of ricotta mixture on one half of each crepe. Fold each crepe in half and then in half again. Place on a serving platter and then top the folded crepe with strawberry slices. Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with chocolate sauce as a garnish if desired.
*Omit the powdered sugar for a savory filling
–posted by Donna
