Flambeed Crepes With Mascarpone And Cherries Recipes

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.

CHERRY VANILLA BLINTZES WITH NECTARINES AND CHERRIES, FLAMBEED IN SHLIVOVITZ

Steps:

• For the crepes: Put all of the ingredients except the butter into a food processor or blender and process until smooth, about 10 seconds. If necessary, scrape down any solids that stick to the sides. Add the butter and process for a few more seconds to blend. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours or overnight. Set a 10-inch, non-stick crepe pan over moderately high heat, then spray with non-stick vegetable spray. When nice and hot, remove the pan from the heat and add 2 tablespoons of batter, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside on a plate, cooked side up, and continue with the remainder of the batter.
• For the filling: In a small saucepan, cover the cherries with water and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let rest. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, vanilla, sugar, and egg until blended. Gently mix in the pot, farmer, or cottage cheese. Drain the cherries and mix them in.
• Place 2 tablespoons of filling in the lower center of the blintz. Fold up once from the bottom, and then fold over the sides. Roll up the rest of the way. Repeat with the rest. Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan. In small batches (4), fry the blintzes fold side down until golden brown. Gently flip to fry the other side. Serve with sour cream, and Nectarines and Cherries, Flambeed in Shlivoviz.
• In a bowl, whisk together the cherry juice and cornstarch. In a hot saute pan, melt the butter. Add the sugar, then the nectarines. Carefully pour in the shlivovitz. If it does not burst into flames spontaneously, ignite with a match. Gently swirl the pan and baste the nectarines until the flames die out. Add the cherry juice mixture and cook until bubbling for 10 seconds. Take the sauce off the heat; add the thawed and fresh cherries.

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.

BASIC CREPES

Steps:

• Make the crepes: Whisk the eggs together in a medium-size mixing bowl. Slowly add the melted butter and whisk until combined. Sift in the flour and salt and stir until combined. Slowly add in the milk. The batter should be runny. Strain the batter and let it rest, refrigerated, for at least 1 hour.
• When you are ready to cook, put a little melted butter into a nonstick pan and put it over medium heat. Ladle the crepe batter into the pan tilting the pan while adding the batter to completely and evenly coat the bottom of the pan. This will take a little practice; usually the first crepe gets scrapped. Once the edge of the crepe begins to pull away from the pan, after about 1 to 2 minutes, use a spatula to get under the crepe and use your fingers to turn it over. The crepe should be golden brown. Cook for 1 minute on the other side, remove it from the pan, and put it onto a plate. Repeat making and stacking crepes, adding more butter to the pan as needed, until all the batter has been used.
• Make the bechamel: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to cook out the raw flour flavor, but do not let it brown. Pour in the milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Season with salt, lower the heat to medium, and cook until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese. Keep warm.
• For the filling: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the asparagus and blanch for about 1 minute, just enough time to set the color but not to overcook it. Immediately plunge the asparagus into a bowl of salted ice water to stop the cooking. When the asparagus is cool, drain and cut it into 1-inch pieces, keeping the tips aside.
• Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and shallots and cook until the shallots are soft, about 5 minutes. Pour in the wine and let it reduce by half. Add the chicken, tomatoes and chopped basil and cook until they are warmed through, about 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and 1 cup of the reserved bechamel. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Lay a crepe on your work surface. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the chicken mixture down the center of the crepe. Roll up the crepe like a cigar. Repeat with remaining crepes and filling. (Alternately, spoon the filling mixture over 1 half of the crepe, fold the crepe in half, then in half again to form a triangle).
• To serve, put 2 crepes onto each serving plate. Spoon some of the bechamel sauce over the crepes and garnish with the reserved asparagus tips and some basil leaves. Serve immediately.

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.

REAL FRENCH CREPES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combine flour, egg, and milk.
• Heat a large skillet or crepe pan over a medium-high heat. Spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the pan, lift the pan and turn it by rotating your wrist, spreading a PAPER THIN amount in the pan. Flip the crepe when it starts to bubble. When it is finished cooking, remove it and repeat this process with the remaining batter.