I have never made crepes for my family.  I can’t believe that!  We’ve enjoyed them with friends at their homes, but I just have never thought to make them myself.  So I went on a hunt for a good crepe recipe and found Julia Child’s version.  They were super easy to make, but just need to be refrigerated for an hour or two in order to let the flour particles absorb the liquid and make the crepes tender.

While you’re waiting for the batter to rest, this is a great time to make the warm topping and sweet cream filling.  For the filling, I mixed 3T. powdered xylitol*, a dash of vanilla and 1 package cream cheese.  I was making it a lower carb version, but regular powdered sugar would work fine!  I also added 1T. half and half to mine, but I would add more next time to get it to a more spreadable consistency.

*to make powdered xylitol, I took the regular xylitol crystals and put them in a small jelly size mason jar.  I screwed the regular blender bottom onto it and blended until it looked powdered.  Easy!

Next put together the raspberry topping.  I’ve done this with blueberries, too, and it was amazing.  Take 2c. of frozen raspberries and sweeten it to your taste — I used 3T. powdered xylitol.  I added glucomannon as a low carb thickener, but a sprinkle of cornstarch would work just as well.  Add a couple tablespoons of water and let it cook on medium low until it gets all warm and thick and it’s ready to go!

Once the batter is done sitting, heat your nonstick pan, then grease it and pour a bit of the batter into the center.  Swirl the pan until it is completely covered with the crepe mixture.

Let it cook for a minute or so until it looks done on the edges.  Gently flip it (I used a spatula approved for high heat) and let the second side cook until very lightly golden.  You don’t want to make these too browned or they won’t roll well.  Spread the sweetened cream mixture on the inside and either roll or fold into quarters.  Spoon the warm raspberry topping over it and indulge in deliciousness!

I also made some with sliced bananas and Nutella and it was amazing.  Next time I am going to try homemade lemon curd with a sweetened mascarpone to see if I can recreate an amazing crepe from a shop at our local market.  I think I might also pick up some chocolate spread from Trader Joes and add sliced strawberries.  The options are endless! Please tell me in the comments how you filled yours!

[ultimate-recipe id=”2297″]

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Sweet and Spicy Brie

1/2 c. pecan halves (I always throw mine into a pan on light heat until they smell fragrant to toast them up and release the oils)

1/4 c. apricot preserves

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

Mix the pecans, apricot preserves and diced jalapeño.  I get a lot of hot peppers from my CSA in the summertime, so I usually cut them in half, seed them, and store them in a quart bag in the freezer.  Then when I need them, I pull out a half or whole and dice it up.  It works beautifully.

Next, cut a 4″ round brie in half horizontally.  I don’t like the moldy tasting exterior (I know, that’s what makes the cheese.  But I hate it!), so I carefully cut off the top and bottom.  I leave the sides on so it doesn’t gush everywhere.  It gives it a little more shape.  But if you leave the brie in tact, it’s even more beautiful to serve.  After you cut it, spoon the mixture into the center and smooth it out.  Put the top half of the cheese on and do the same thing.  Think frosting a layer cake.

Cut a baguette into thin slices.  At this point, you can brush olive oil onto them and arrange them, or just arrange them beautifully and spray with an olive oil baking spray.  You can make this on a baking stone, but I’ve also just made it on a pizza pan.  Anything round will work.  Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  When the bread is toasty and the brie is warm, it’s ready to serve!

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