For Mother’s Day or any day, cheese-filled crepes with blueberry sauce made with this recipe from The Culinary Institute of America would be a treat to remember long after the day itself. Although traditionally eaten in the morning, crepes can be served as a light snack, an impressive brunch item or a mouth-watering dessert.
Crepes are light, tender and wafer-thin, with a delicate structure that relies on a very smooth and fluid batter. You can achieve the proper consistency either by hand-whisking the batter or mixing it in a blender or food processor. For the ideal texture, rest the batter 30 to 60 minutes before cooking.
The best way to avoid lumps is to “marry the dry ingredients with the wet,” Stephane Weber, lecturing instructor in baking and pastry arts at the institute, explains.
To make a paste, combine the dry ingredients with half of the liquid ingredients. Incorporate small amounts of the remaining liquid mixture, making sure the batter is smooth after each addition. For an even smoother consistency, butter can be replaced with heavy cream. “To add extra zing, include one tablespoon of orange zest or two tablespoons of orange liquor,” Weber said.
To save time, especially if you’re cooking for Mother’s Day, prepare the cheese filling, the blueberry sauce, professionally called “coulis,” and the crepes in advance, and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the finished dessert. Prepared crepes should be stacked between sheets of parchment or waxed paper, wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated. You can also freeze crepes for a later date; just remember to thaw them before filling and folding.
The recipe, along with many others, is included and illustrated in The Culinary Institute of America’s “Baking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America” (Wiley, 2004, $40).
Cheese-filled crepes with blueberry coulis
For the Crepe Batter:
1cup all-purpose flour
2tablespoons sugar
1/4teaspoon salt
1large egg
1cup whole or low-fat milk
1tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/4teaspoon vanilla extract
Melted unsalted butter for greasing and drizzling
For the cheese filling:
2cups cottage cheese
3-ounce package of cream cheese
2tablespoons sugar
1large egg
1/2teaspoon vanilla extract
To make the crepe batter, sift the flour, sugar and salt into a bowl and set aside. Combine the egg, milk, butter, and vanilla extract in another bowl and stir until smooth. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until blended into a relatively smooth batter. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. (The batter may be prepared to this point and stored in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.)
Heat a crepe pan or small skillet over medium heat. Brush the pan with melted butter. Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into the crepe pan, swirling and tilting the pan to coat the bottom. Cook (reducing the heat if necessary) until the first side is set and has a little color, about 2 minutes. Use a thin metal or heatproof rubber spatula to loosen the crepe, and turn it over. Cook on the other side until set and very lightly colored (the crepe will not be as dark on the second side as on the first), 1 minute more. Stack the crepes between layers of parchment or waxed paper as you cook.
To make the cheese filling, puree the cottage cheese and cream cheese in a blender until very smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the sugar, egg and vanilla extract by hand. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to finish the crepes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly brush a medium baking dish with melted butter.
Spoon or pipe about 2 tablespoons of the cheese filling onto each crepe. Fold each crepe into quarters, or fold the sides in to the center, then roll each crepe up. Place the crepes seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Drizzle with melted butter and bake until very hot, 8 to 10 minutes.
Serve immediately, 2 crepes per serving, with warm blueberry coulis.
Makes 12 crepes, or 6 servings.
Blueberry coulis
1pound fresh or frozen blueberries (31/2 cups)
3/4to 1 cup sugar
1to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Combine the blueberries, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes. Taste the mixture and, if necessary, add more sugar. Continue to heat until any additional sugar is dissolved.
Strain the coulis through a fine-mesh sieve. After straining, place the coulis in a clean saucepan and bring to a simmer. Make a slurry by blending 2 teaspoons cornstarch with 2 teaspoons cold water. Drizzle the slurry into the simmering coulis gradually, adding just enough to lightly thicken the sauce.
Makes about 2 cups.
Nutrition information per crepe (includes coulis): 250 cal., 8 g pro., 33 g carbo., 10 g fat, 230 mg sodium, 60 mg chol., 2 g fiber.
Recipe from The Culinary Institute of America’s “Baking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America.”
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