Because the best recipes come from memories.
We’ve all had those moments where we’ve had a craving that just won’t seem to go away. Sometimes, the only way to keep those cravings at bay is to scratch that itch every once in a while. My boyfriend had one of those moments just …
I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite times of the year is Thanksgiving. It may be because of the company, it may be because of the holiday spirit, it may be because of the changing of the leaves, but one thing is …
Like mentioned before in my previous blog post, Chocolate Almond Pancakes, there’s nothing that brings me back to that wonderful feeling of nostalgia like my first dishes. As an adult, it’s tempting to go back and try to “fix” all the mistakes that I made when I first started cooking. Usually, I’d do this by trying to redeem something like burning the dish or over-mixing the dough. However, one of my favorite ways of revisiting these old memories if by elevating a dish I’ve made before in the past–either by finding a way to add more depth of flavor or by finding a way to plate the dish more elegantly.
When it comes to breakfast, one of your best friends is citrus. For the crêpe recipe I’m about to share with you, lemon gives the crêpes the particular “tangy” flavor you want that brings the filling up that extra notch (instead of the filling tasting like a pure sugar bomb).
Each crêpe is a little pocket of heaven (if heaven tasted like strawberries and cream)! The key to success with this recipe is to really take your time and make sure the little details are done with love–straining the batter so that it isn’t lumpy, making sure that the filling is combined properly, folding the whipped cream in gently. After all, this recipe is a labor of love with the time that it takes, but every second spent on it is well worth the wait. Your family and friends will surely be begging for more!
Gather all your ingredients. Remember to set yourself up for success by doing all the “prep work” beforehand (softening the cream cheese, melting the butter, slicing the strawberries, zesting and juicing the lemon).
Make your filling by combining the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla extract. Fold in your whipped cream gently. The result should look similar to the image above. Place in the fridge until ready for serving.
Combine your wet and dry ingredients for the crêpes.
Sieve your batter to make sure you get all the lumps out! A smooth batter results in a crêpe that will cook thinner and give a texture closer to the “paper” consistency that you want!
Spread the batter out in a thin layer on the bottom of a nonstick skillet.
Cook the batter until it looks set and no longer runny. Flip –>
Cook the second side of the crêpe for about 30 seconds.
Fill with the lemon cream cheese filling and sliced strawberries. Top with your toppings of choice!
Light crêpes filled with a filling of cream cheese and strawberries, with just the right amount of tang.
Combine the cream cheese and sugar until integrated in a medium bowl. Add the juice and zest of half a lemon to the cream cheese mixture.
In a separate, large bowl, whisk the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the lemon cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate the finished filling until ready to use.
Combine the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl (all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and salt).
Combine the wet ingredients in a small-sized bowl (milk, water, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract). Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until well-combined. If hand-mixing, run the batter through a sieve to get rid of clumps, or run the batter through a blender until smooth.
Heat up a large skillet or nonstick skillet on medium-low heat. If using a normal skillet, spray with nonstick spray or lightly oil. If using a nonstick skillet, the butter in the batter should suffice to prevent sticking.
Using a ladle, pour about 4 tbsp. of the crêpe batter into the center of the skillet, slowly tilting the pan so that the batter fully covers the bottom of the skillet with a light coating.
Cook until the batter looks fully set (the top should look almost glossy and less liquid-y). Lift up one section of the crêpe carefully and slide your spatula fully underneath. Flip. The crêpe should look almost paper-thin. Cook the other side of the crêpe for about 30 seconds. Transfer the cooked crêpe onto a plate to cool.
Repeat steps 4-6 until you have gone through all of the batter.
Fill each crêpe with about 1/4 cup of the cream cheese filling, piling strawberries on top of the filling. Roll up the crêpe to seal. Top with whipped cream and strawberries, or reserve some of the cream cheese filling for this purpose. Bon appétit!
* May substitute granulated sugar in the filling for confectioner’s sugar for a smoother texture
** About the juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
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