Flambeed Crepes With Mascarpone And Cherries Recipes

RED WINE AND PORT POACHED PEARS WITH MASCARPONE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan combine the port, wine, 1 cup of the sugar, star anise, cinnamon, thyme, lemon zest, the vanilla bean and seeds. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add the pears and simmer until the pears are cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool in the poaching liquid.
• Before serving, remove the pears from their poaching liquid and reduce the liquid to a syrup. Strain into a small bowl.
• Combine the mascarpone and remaining sugar in a small bowl. Dollop a small amount of the mascarpone on each plate and arrange a pear half on top to prevent it from sliding around the plate. Garnish the pears with a large dollop of the mascarpone, and drizzle with the reduced poaching liquid. Shave the chocolate over the mascarpone and serve.
• Voila!

CRêPES WITH FLAMBéED PEACHES

Steps:

• Lightly brush a crêpe with melted butter and warm in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, 15 to 30 seconds. Flip and fold over twice to form a triangle, then transfer to a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining crêpes.
• Sauté the peaches in the butter and sugar in the same skillet over medium-high heat until tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Carefully add the rum to the skillet and use a long lighter to ignite. Cook until the alcohol burns off, then stir in the lime juice. Spoon the peaches over the crêpes.

MIXED BERRY CREPES WITH MASCARPONE

Steps:

• For the batter: Blend the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor or blender. Add the milk, water, eggs, butter, and vanilla extract, and process until smooth. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
• For the fruit: While batter rests, hull and halve the strawberries. Toss with blackberries, sugar, and orange liqueur, if using, in a medium bowl; set aside.
• For the filling: Whisk the cheeses with the sugar, orange zest and juice, and the vanilla extract.
• To make the crepes: Heat an 6-inch nonstick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat until a drop of water bounces and sizzles briefly on its surface before evaporating. Quickly pour in about 2 tablespoons of crepe batter and swirl it to coat the skillet evenly. Cook until the batter sets, about 30 seconds. Flip the crepe and cook the other side until just barely golden. Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking the crepes as they cook.
• Place 1 tablespoon of the cheese filling on the lower left-hand corner of each crepe. Fold crepe in half, then half again to make a triangle with filling in the tip. Repeat with the remaining crepes and filling. Stack filled crepes neatly on serving platter (or hotel pan). (The crepes can be prepared up to this point a day ahead, covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight.)
• To serve: Preheat an oven to 250 degrees F. Cover crepes with foil and warm in the oven until heated through, about 10 minutes.
• Spoon the macerated berries over the crepes and serve.

CREPES WITH MASCARPONE AND CHERRIES

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine the mascarpone, chocolate chips, 1/2 cup sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Set aside. If making more than 2 hours ahead reserve in the refrigerator but let come to room temperature before serving. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cherries, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, lemon zest and juice and a splash of water. Cook until the cherries have let off their juice and the flavor has concentrated, about 10 to 12 minutes. When done the cherries should be very sweet and the juice should be syrupy.
• To assemble:
• Schmear some of the mascarpone/chocolate mixture, about 1/4-inch thick, onto the lower half of a crepe. Fold the top half over the bottom to create a perfect half circle and press to secure. Fold the crepe in half again, to create a loose triangle. Repeat this process with remaining 7 crepes. To serve, arrange 2 triangles on each serving plate and spoon the stewed cherries over the tops.
• Batter: In a mixing bowl, add the flour and salt and make a well in the center. Add the eggs, milk, club soda and 3 tablespoons of melted butter into the center of the well and whisk together until just combined. The mixture should be like VERY loose pancake batter. If the mixture is a little thick, whisk in a little more milk. Let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes before using.
• Crepes:
• Melt about a 1/2 teaspoon of butter in a small nonstick saute pan. The butter should coat the bottom of the pan, if there is a lot of excess, wipe it out with a paper towel. Keep the paper towel handy in case you need it again (you will).
• Put the pan over medium heat. Fill a 2-ounce ladle, almost to the top, with batter and pour it into the preheated pan, tipping and rolling the pan, as you ladle the batter, to evenly cover the bottom. This will take a little practice, even when you are an experienced crepe maker the first couple always get wasted. Accept it and move on.
• When the edges of the crepe begin to pull away from the edges of the pan and the bottom begins to brown a little, turn the crepe over and cook it for about 1 minute on the other side. Remove the crepe from the pan to a plate and let cool. Stack the crepes as they are cooked between parchment paper squares. Repeat this process, until all the batter is used, wiping the pan with your paper towel or melting a little more butter to the pan, as needed.

STRAWBERRY CREPES FLAMBE

Steps:

• Fold crepes in quarters. Heat in 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high, flipping once, until warm and crisp, 5 minutes; divide between 2 plates.
• Return skillet to heat; melt 3 tablespoons butter. Stir in packed light-brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and a pinch of kosher salt; cook, swirling pan, until darkened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add halved strawberries; cook until tender, 2 minutes. Remove from heat; add silver rum.
• To flambe, return skillet to medium-high heat. If using a gas burner, carefully tilt pan away from you to ignite; if using an electric burner, use a lit long match held just above the sauce. When flame subsides (5 to 10 seconds), spoon strawberries over crepes. Return skillet to medium-high heat and reduce sauce until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes; pour over crepes. Whisk heavy cream until thickened slightly. Drizzle over crepes; serve.