Strawberry Crepes

I am terrible at making premixed pancakes. I can never get the right consistency. Instead, I decided to make crepes. Easy. There seems to be a lot of instructions on how to make these, but really, you can make the batter, put it in the fridge. Hull & slice the strawberries, get that sauce going, and while that simmers, make the cream cheese filling. Or you can make everything in advance. (Just warm the strawberries before serving)

We had left over strawberry sauce that we had made for breakfast. Justin decided to use the extra strawberries as a topping for strawberry shortcake. See next blog.

Alton Brown's Crepes 

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 2.5 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• Butter, for coating the pan

Directions

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours. Do not skip this. Do it the night before as an easy do-ahead. 

Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. I think 1 ounce was not enough. This part takes a little practice, and you may need to throw away the first couple of crepes.  Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

Strawberry Sauce inspired by Tyler Florence 

• 1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• Fresh Orange juice (few tablespoons)
• Orange zest (~ 2 tsp)

Combine the strawberries, sugar, water,cornstarch, and zest in a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and stir gently until the berries release their natural juices. The consistency should remain a bit chunky, it will thicken up when it cools down. I added the orange juice & zest to the original recipe. It cuts the sweetness of the strawberries and gives it more depth. 

Cream Cheese Filling:

1 tub of Fat Free Cool Whip (I suggest Cool Whip...some store brands have a rubbery consistency)
3 Tbs of Neufchâtel Cheese


Whip the two ingredients until you have a smooth consistency. You can add or subtract the amount of cream cheese to taste. 




Putting it all together: 
Set oven to broil. As the oven is heating, spray a baking pan with Pam. Fill the crepes with cream cheese filling, about 2 tbs per crepe. Roll up the crepe and put in baking pan. Continue until all crepes are filled. Brush crepes lightly with melted butter. Put in oven until crepe begins to get a golden brown color. 


(Why broil? I like the crispiness of the crepe, but want the cream to stay cool and solid. Broil gets things crispy, fast.) 
Serve and spoon warm strawberry sauce over. Enjoy!