creamy crepes w/ lemon strawberries*

I am definitely a crepe lover. However, I have never ventured off to "savory" crepes. I am sure that they would be equally delicious, but right now I am hooked on the sweet crepe variety. Once in awhile the husband and I have to go to Village Inn so that I can have an order of their yummy strawberry crepes with hashbrowns and some crispy bacon. Mmmmmm....

You know what I just discovered? You know how it is a BAD idea to go shopping when you are hungry because you could possibly end up buying out the entire store? I think it's the same thing about blogging. It is not a good idea to food blog when you are hungry. Right now I am mentally going through each cupboard in my kitchen trying to decide if there is anything I want to eat. Rather, if there is any one specific thing I want eat so I don't end up snacking on a little bit of everything.

Sorry, I have a problem getting off track (man I wish I had some strawberries on hand so I can make these crepes RIGHT NOW!!). This past weekend I made these for breakfast when we were at the cabin with my sister-in-law and her husband. I really liked how everything turned out. I think I added a tad more sugar to my strawberries (and still could have gotten away with adding even a little more), but other than that I followed it to a T. I really liked the filling. It is definitely not too sweet, and the strawberry topping balances it out. I also really like the crepe recipe. The first couple of crepes I made weren't keepers, but once you get a couple of ugly ones the rest turn out beautifully!!

Creamy Crepes w/ Lemon Strawberries
from Heritage Kitchen

simple crepes

makes 4 servings, 2 crepes each

1 c. all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt, a generous pinch

1 tsp. white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. cold water

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. + 1 tsp. butter

powdered sugar, for garnish

1. Sift together the flour, salt and sugar in a small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in a large bowl with the milk, water, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Refrigerate while preparing any fillings or toppings.

2. Spread 1 teaspoon of butter on the bottom of a small cast iron or non-stick skillet (or a crepe pan) and heat over medium low heat. Once the pan is hot, reduce heat slightly to just above low. 

3. Using a 1/4 c. scoop, pour the crepe mixture into the pan using a circular motion. Spread it into a circular shape using the bottom of the scoop. Flip when the edges begin to look dry and the pancake slides easily in the bottom of the skillet. Place a small piece of wax paper between each crepe until they're all ready to be filled.

Strawberries & Cream

1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed, hulled and chopped

1 lemon, zested, and the juice of half

2 tsp. white sugar

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. cream cheese, softened

1. Combine chopped berries, white sugar, and lemon juice and zest. Let sit for at least 3-5 minutes before use.

2. Combine brown sugar, cream cheese and sour cream and roll in warm crepes. 

Top crepes with strawberries and serve.

 

-alyssa* 

nutella banana crepes*

We attempted to make these for breakfast this last Monday, not realizing that the kids were out of school and would be coming late to breakfast. Unfortunately there was no way the bananas would have lasted that long without going all brown and nasty, so we had to come up with a plan B. It was a sad day, but we will be serve them again and the kids will love it! They are obsessed with Nutella! I had never actually had it until a couple of weeks ago. I don't know why, but it has never appealed to me. Then one day I tried it with an animal cracker. I have truly been missing out on something that is amazing and it has been right under my nose for 3 years now. For those of you that have also never had the Nutella experience, this is the goodness in a jar!

Speaking of 3 years, I have been working at Heritage for exactly 3 years on Wednesday, January 26th (same day I get to go see the Jazz take on the Spurs! GO JAZZ!!). I was talking to the husband yesterday and told him that Heritage is probably the best thing that ever happened to me (next to him of course :). I cannot think of a better place to work or better people to work with. I LOVE my job!!!

Anyway, let's talk Nutella banana crepes. I attempted to make strawberry crepes a couple of months ago for the first time, and the crepes turned out ok but the cream cheese filling I had made wasn't my favorite. I'm still looking for a good recipe for a cream cheese filling, so if you have one please do share! This recipe for crepes I used today said to whisk the flour with the eggs, and then add the wet ingredients. DON'T DO THIS! I would add all of the wet ingredients, and then sift in the flour. I did it according to the directions and it resulted in a lumpy batter. No matter how fast I whisked, the lumps would not come out. It still tasted good, but you will have a much smoother batter this way.

Nutella Banana Crepes
crepes by allrecipes.com

Yield:  8 crepes

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. butter, melted
8 tbsp. Nutella
2 large bananas, sliced

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and eggs (please see my tip above). Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side.

Let crepe cool for about 5 minutes, just so the Nutella can spread easily. Take 1 tbsp. of Nutella and spread it right now the center of the crepe. Take some of the banana slices and place them on top of the Nutella.

Then roll it up like a taco. Dust the crepe with powdered sugar. You can also top it with some whipped cream or a drizzle of chocolate syrup! Mmmmm..

If you are a crepe lover (like me), a chocolate lover (like me), and a banana lover (like me) you will LOVE these! And they literally took me about 10 minutes. I had one for dessert tonight. Shouldn't have because I'm doing the biggest loser, but I have ate good all week and I needed just one little treat. I figure it was probably better than a big piece of chocolate cake!

-alyssa*