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It’s Best . . . In Late Summer

Ra-spberry C-repes

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The kind you find in a second hand store.

Makes 10-12 crepes.

Demo

 

Ingredients

&

Equipment

 

Raspberry cream

Recipes adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1, pp. 191, 590.

  • 1 lbs fresh raspberries

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 3 egg yolks

  • 1/4 cup flour

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • 1 tbsp of butter

  • Salt and lemon juice to taste

  • 2 small to medium sauce pans

  • 1 medium mixing bowl

  • 1 whisk

  • 1 candy thermometer

  • 1 rubber spatula

  • 1 wooden spoon

  • 1 small airtight container

  • 1 citrus juicer

  • 1 cutting knife

  • 1 offset spatula

  • Optional: 3-4 tbsp of powdered sugar, and a small sifter or strainer

Crepe batter

  • 2 eggs

  • 3/4 cup flour

  • 1/2 cup whole milk

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 2 tbsp melted butter

  • Pinch of salt

  • Food processor fixed with cutting blade

  • 1 tbsp of neutral oil in a ramekin or other small dish

  • 1 rubber spatula

  • 1 heat proof basting brush

  • 1 9” crepe pan or non-stick pan

  • 1 medium sized pouring vessel (such as a large Pyrex measuring cup)

  • Optional: Foil or plastic wrap

Prepare raspberry jam

(can be made several days in advance)

 

Combine the raspberries and 1/2 cup of sugar in a saucepan, fit with a candy thermometer. Halve the lemon, and add a few drops of lemon juice. (Add more lemon juice depending on the sweetness of the raspberries.). Bring the raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice to boil over medium heat. Boil the mixture until it reaches thread stage (230 degrees Fahrenheit). This may take 15-20 minutes, or more. (As the mixture approaches 230, you may need to raise the heat. Watch the mixture carefully so that it does not overflow the sauce pan.) Place the jam into an airtight container, and chill in the fridge.

 

Prepare raspberry cream

(can be made 1-2 days in advance)

 

Bring the milk to boil in a sauce pan. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl until the mixture falls in ribbons from your whisk. Add the flour, and whisk to combine. Slowly, then more quickly, add the boiling milk to the mixture. Return the mixture to medium heat in the sauce pan, and bring to a vigorous simmer until the mixture has thickened. Off heat, add raspberry jam and salt to taste. (You may have leftover jam, which goes great on the toasted bread of your choice. Or, perhaps, a croissant.) Place the raspberry cream in the fridge to chill.

 

Prepare crepes

(batter and crepes can be made 1-2 days in advance)

 

Combine the eggs, milk, water, flour, a generous pinch of salt, and melted butter in the food processor, and blitz for 30 seconds or until combined. Transfer to a pouring vessel, and let the batter chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Heat the crepe pan over medium heat until ripping hot, and brush with neutral oil. Add the crepe batter, swirling the pan, to form a scant 1/8 inch layer of batter on the pan. Cook 3-4 minutes on one side. Dislodge the crepe by shaking the pan back and forth vigorously (if the crepe does not easily dislodge, keep cooking the crepe), and flip using the spatula. Cook 30 seconds on the other side.

The crepes may at this point be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the fridge for several days, or kept warm in a stack under a piece of foil. Reheat the crepes in the oven for a few minutes at 350 degrees, or in the microwave until warm to the touch.

Fill and plate

 

When ready to serve, smear a thin (or not so thin) layer of raspberry cream on the less picturesque side of the crepe, using the offset spatula. Fold into a triangle shape. Optionally dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy.