Chocolate Crepes with Raspberries
Here is a great idea for your Valentine’s Day breakfast. I made this morning for my little guy because he wasn’t feeling well yesterday. I was hoping these would cheer him up a little. Day before yesterday, we went back to the gym for the first time, after being out for a couple of weeks. We had been on a skiing vacation, then I was recovering from two disgusting toe injuries you probably don’t want me to describe. Well, he must have picked up some virus from one of the kids there, because he still has a low grade fever. I am hoping his fever will be gone by tomorrow. I spent all day yesterday and most of today cuddling with him and watching movies.
These crepes were really good. You could do the same thing with strawberries instead of raspberries too. Instead of cream cheese, I made the filling with Greek yogurt, a much healthier alternative. The liqueur I used in the sauce was Raspberry di Amore. It’s sweet and delicious and also goes well with vodka and cranberry – raspberry fruit juice if you want to make an accompanying early morning cocktail for your sweetie-pie.
If you haven’t made crepes before, don’t worry, it’s not a big deal. This was my first time making them, and I didn’t even screw up the first one (it’s easy to do as I understand it). Just make sure the pan is good and hot. It has to be nonstick (I actually went and purchased a pan just for crepes a few weeks ago), and the batter has to be smooth. I did this by straining it. The flipping part is a little difficult. I used a large non-stick spatula, my regular stainless steel spatula, and then finally settled on my frosting spatula. Just experiment and see what works well for you. I did my first one well, got a phone call, and then restarted making crepes. The next 2 or three I tore, but it was because I was trying to make them too thin. I found using just a little less than 1/4 cup of batter worked the best. You cook them over medium heat and then you wait to flip until the top of the crepe is dry. Then when it’s done, slide out on a plate or cooling rack to cool.
Yield: Serves 4
Chocolate Crepes with Raspberries
Ingredients:
Crepes:
2 large eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/3 cups flour
2/3 cups cocoa powder
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
Raspberry Filling:
1 cup fresh or frozen and defrosted raspberries
2 cups Vanilla Greek yogurt
Raspberry Sauce:
1/2 cup fresh or frozen and defrosted raspberries
2 tablespoons raspberry liqueur
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
For Garnish:
Whipped Cream
Fresh Raspberries
Tools:
10 inch nonstick skillet
a cake frosting spatula for flipping crepes
strainer
saucepan
food processor
blender
Directions:
Combine all ingredients for crepes in a blender. Blend until well combined. Strain batter. Let batter sit for at least 1 hour, in the fridge, before using.
Combine raspberries and yogurt in food processor and pulse until well combined.
Dissolve 1/2 cup water and cornstarch for sauce. In a saucepan, combine the other 1/2 cup water, sugar and raspberries. Bring to a boil and add cornstarch water slurry and liqueur. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Strain.
Pour about 1/4 cup, or a little less, of batter in the skillet and tilt pan around in a circle until the batter covers the bottom of the skillet. Cook until it sets up and then carefully flip.
When your crepes are done, spread some raspberry yogurt on them and roll them up. Serve topped with whipped cream, raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries.