Strawberry and Meyer Lemon Filled Crepes
I first learned to make crepes in high school. During one French class our professor took us to his house for a simple French cooking lesson. It was a boarding school and most of the professors lived on campus, so this wasn’t particularly unusual. He taught us the ratio – 1:2:1 milk, eggs, flour – and pan-fried dozens of crepes. Like most of my classes in high school, I spent a good portion of it flirting, an activity that was only enhanced by speaking French and eating crepes. French – the language of ballet, patisserie, and love.
I’ve all but forgotten French, but I do remember how to make crepes. They are such a wonderful dessert. At their simplest, they require only 4 ingredients – milk, eggs, flour, and a pat of butter for the frying pan. From there, you can dress them up in seemingly infinite ways. You can stuff them with fruit and cream, stack them in layers with salted caramel to make a crepe cake, or flambée them with a bit of rum. You can make the batter chocolate-flavored or go the savory route and fill your crepes with ham and cheese. They are simple, economical, and delicious.
- 1 lb. fresh strawberries, stems removed and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
- 1/3 cup plus 2 TBS granulated sugar
- 8 oz. mascarpone cheese
- 2 TBS butter, room temperature
- zest and juice of 1 meyer lemon
- 1 TBS vodka
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 3 TBS butter, melted (plus a bit more for coating the pan)
- 2 TBS brandy
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup all purpose flour