Saturday, August 16, 2008

Crepes with Peaches and Blueberry Sauce

Crepes w/ Peaches and Blueberry Sauce

Crepes w/ Peaches and Blueberry Sauce

I like eating plain buckwheat crepes fresh from the pan. Sometimes I spread them with nutella or jam, or top them with a drizzle of maple syrup. I've tried several recipes for crepe batter, and while this one is my favorite, I prefer others for different occasions.

These crepes are flexible and sturdy enough for fresh fruit or cheese fillings. They don't color much- probably because there's little butter in the batter and I don't add much to the pan. A second frying can add color and bring out the cinnamon flavor. If you omit the cinnamon, the crepes can be used with savory fillings.

It took a few tries to figure out how I wanted to serve them. I tried spreading the crepes with cream cheese and greek yogurt. I tried sprinkling them with sugar and lemon juice before adding the peaches. I tried folding them into quarters and rolling them.

I decided I liked rolled crepes with diced peaches and blueberry sauce best. The fruit (especially the peaches) didn't need any accompaniment. The peaches are some of the best i've ever had- they're large, juicy, and very smooth textured. They're extremely ripe and not at all mushy.

It was a very successful breakfast!

Crepes
from Emily Luchetti's A Passion for Desserts

2 large eggs
1/4 cup water
1 cup milk
3/4 cup all purpose flour
6 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk the eggs, water, and milk in a bowl until combined. Sift together and then whisk in the flour, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt. Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Heat a 6 inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet over medium heat (*I used an 8 inch). Lightly grease the bottom of the pan. Fill a 1/4 cup measure about 3/4 full with the crepe batter and pour it into the pan, rotating the pan so that a thin layer covers the entire bottom. Cook for about 1 1/2 minutes, until lightly browned. Using a knife, loosen a corner of the crepe from the pan. With your fingers, flip the crepe over and cook for another 15 seconds. Place the finished crepe on a plate.

Continue cooking crepes, stacking them, slightly overlapping, on top of each other, until there are at least 12 crepes. It is not necessary to grease the pan after each crepe. Wrap the crepes in plastic wrap until ready to use. Store at room temperature for several hours, but refrigerate overnight. Crepes can be refrigerated for 2 days or frozen for 2 weeks. Defrost for 30 minutes before using.

Blueberry Sauce
1 1/2 pints fresh blueberries
3 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Combine 1 pint of blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the berries have mostly burst and cooked down, about 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/2 pint blueberries, then serve.

5 comments:

Christine said...

Crepes are awesome. The recipe I use doesn't have any butter in it at all, but it still browns a bit (though that might mean I leave it over the heat a tad too long). I agree with your filling conundrum, but in the end I like a simple filling because that's all it seems to need. Your blueberry sauce sounds really good.

Anonymous said...

^^so funny you eat them for breakfast, very american!

In belgium (as in france) we eat them at 11 am or 4 pm: with a nice hot cup of coffee. Also, a lot of butter goes into the pan and even on top of the crepes as they are served. Just wanted to share this with you.

Yours look great btw! ;)

Snooky doodle said...

ah i adore crepes especially with peanut butter and nutella :-) I m in heaven. Will try this recipe next time though.

Ehrrin said...

Yum! I love crepes. My favorite way is with butter, powdered sugar and lemon juice, but I really haven't ever met a crepe I didn't like.

Where are you getting your peaches in the 'Burgh? I've gotten a few in my CSA over the past few weeks, but they're not super flavorful (I've been making frozen yogurt and ice cream with them).

Pittsburgh Needs Eated said...

Sorry Ehrrin- the peaches were from Bakersfield, CA!