Crepes are one of my favorite foods and can be quite versatile. Used for dessert, they can be filled with a variety of ingredients: chocolate, Nutella, mascarpone to name a few. Or served at breakfast with ricotta cheese and just a touch of sweetness. At lunch or dinner, they can be filled with spinach, chicken and mushroom cream sauce, or thinly sliced ham and a lightly scrambled egg or even an herbed cream cheese with smoked salmon and sliced radish. Any way you serve them, they are delightful, and light on carbohydrates.
I was cleaning out our coal stoves, and discovered an old cast-iron crepe pan. I couldn’t resist! Passion took over and I set about cleaning it up, trying out recipes, and finding something that I wanted to share. This simple breakfast crepe will be a nice change on the weekend, when you want to do something a little more special for your family.
Blessed New Year!
Crepes with Lemon Ricotta Filling
Makes about 6 8-inch crêpes, recipe can be doubled as needed
SERVINGS3peopleCHANGE SERVING SIZEpeople |
COOK TIME20 mins |
PREP TIME30mins |
READY IN1 hr |
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour all purpose
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 egg(s) large
- pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- canola oil for cooking
- Optional - for Sweet Crepes
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Lemon Ricotta Filling
- 8 oz. ricotta cheese or cream cheese
- lemon zest 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-4 tbsp heavy cream
- Homemade Blueberry Sauce
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Place the flour, milk, eggs, salt, and melted butter (and optional sugar and vanilla) in a blender and blend for about 20 seconds until batter is smooth. Alternatively, whisk everything together in a bowl until thoroughly combined and frothy.
- Cover the bowl and let the batter sit for at least 1/2 hour on the counter or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Before cooking the crêpes, assemble everything you'll need by your stove top: the batter, the pan, the oil and pastry brush and a spatula. If your bowl doesn't have a pour spout, have a ladle or 1/4-cup measuring cup handy.
- Place the pan over medium heat and brush your pan with oil to coat the bottom. Let it sit on the flame for a minute to get hot. Pour in about ¼-1/3 cup of batter. Immediately, pick up the pan and swirl it to coax the batter into an even layer on the bottom of the pan.
- When the crêpe has browned slightly on the bottom, carefully work a spatula underneath it and flip. Cook the second side briefly, just to set the batter.
- Tilt the pan and loosen the crêpe, then slide it onto the cooling rack or wax paper
- Continue making crêpes with the rest of the batter, brushing more oil on the pan as needed to keep the crêpes from sticking.
- If not eating the crêpes immediately, stack them one on top of the other as they cool. If they seem sticky, place a square of wax paper or parchment between them. Place the stack in a sealable plastic bag and store in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for a few months.
Lemon Ricotta Filling
- Whip all of the above ingredients together in a mixer until smooth and creamy. If using cream cheese, whip this first until creamy and then add the other ingredients
- Spoon about 2 Tbsp of the filling into one of the “corners” of the crepes and fold into ¼’s
- Arrange on plate and sprinkle with mixed berries and powdered sugar to serve, or serve with homemade blueberry sauce (below).
Homemade Blueberry Sauce
- In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine sugar, water, cornstarch, and lemon juice.
- Whisk until blended, then add blueberries.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until juice is clear and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Serve at room temperature
Hello Sisters,
I just wanted to say that this is a very lovely recipe. I made it today as a trial run for a Mother’s Day brunch I am hosting, and I thought the flavors were bright and refreshing, but rich and decadent enough to say “special occasion”. I used homemade ricotta that I had acidulated with lemon juice, so only needed the zest from 1/2 lemon instead of a whole lemon. Thank you for posting this recipe, it is now my new favorite contribution for the sweeter side of brunch.
That’s such a blessing to hear Clarissa – thank you for letting us know that our recipe was part of such a special celebration for your mother. God bless you!
I was looking for a few new recipes to make at our restaurant. We have never made crepes so I made this for my family and everyone loved it, we will be putting it on the board today as a breakfast special and for Mother’s Day. Thank you very much for sharing this remarkable recipe.
Hello Christina – What a thrill to be a part of your restaurant in a very small way! We are so happy you found us! Blessings to you and all the people you serve!
Thanks for this recipe. Sam says hI!
Hi Sam and Mel! Lots of love to you!
What a lovely site and so very glad to have found it! Was looking for a crepe recipe and this is just wonderful – can’t wait to give it a go!
Many thanks for sharing!