A crepe is a thin type of pancake that can be filled with either sweet items, as a dessert, or with savory flavors, as an appetizer or entree. This French creation has gained some popularity. Restaurants featuring crepes have been popping up around Arkansas. You can even find crepes on some chain restaurants menus that feature breakfast.
Making crepes at home are not hard. All it takes is a large flat-bottomed pan and your imagination to come up with the filling. Don’t expect your first crepe to be perfect. I always end up throwing my first one away. After that first practice crepe, they start coming out like an assembly line.
Today I am sharing with you a basic Crepe Batter along with a sweet crepe recipe, Crepes Hope. I figured with all this virus mess, we all could use a little sweetness in our lives and stomachs.
Here is a basic crepe batter. It can be used for both sweet and savory crepes.
Crepe Batter
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups milk
1 egg
1/3 cup canola oil
5 tablespoons butter, melted plus extra for pan.
Place the flour and sugar in a medium-mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk, egg, oil, and butter. Heat a nonstick pan or crepe pan over moderate heat. Pour 1/4 cup of the crepe batter into the center of the hot pan and tilt it in all directions. The batter should coat the pan in a light covering. After about 30 seconds, the bottom side of the crepe should be lightly browned and the crepe should be ready to be flipped. Shake the pan in order to release the crepe, and then turn it by using a spatula. Cook the crepe for an additional 15-20 seconds and then remove it from the pan.
The following recipe is appearing in my new cookbook. What follows is taken directly from my manuscript.
In my first cookbook, I have recipes named for my my two dogs, Bruno and Abigail. Since my first book, we have gotten 2 standard poodles. The newest one is a white male. I named him Alfredo, after the pasta sauce. The other one is a sweet black girl named Hope. Since Alfredo is already named for a popular recipe, which appeared in my first cookbook, I thought I would name this dish after my not so little girl.
Crepes Hope
1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
5 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
16 Crepes
2 cup Hot Fudge Sauce, recipe to follow
1/4 cup dark Creme de Cocoa Or 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup & 2 tablespoons water
2 cups whipped cream
Preheat the oven to 300℉.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Beat the mixture until smooth. Place 3 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling on one end of each crepe: roll the crepes, then refrigerate them until serving.
Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 5-8 minutes. Let cool.
Stir the Creme de Cocoa into the warm hot fudge sauce. Place 2 crepes on each plate and spoon the liqueur-flavored chocolate sauce over the crepes. Top with whipped cream and toasted almonds.
Hot Fudge Sauce
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
Combine the butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Cook the mixture, stirring, until the chocolate has melted, then blend in the boiling water. When the mixture is smooth, add the sugar and corn syrup. Place the pan over direct heat and bring the sauce to a low boil. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, then simmer an additional 2 minutes. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate. To reheat the hot fudge, warm it over low heat.
Don’t think that you need to be a master chef to make crepes. You can even find crepe mixes in local grocery stores. Let your imagination run wild when it comes to your fillings. The sky is the limit.
