Easy Strawberry Crepes

Crepes, or crêpes, are a thin French pancake whose popularity has been growing across the globe over the last decade. From France to Japan to Quebec to America, crepes are hot. Sometimes savory, sometimes sweet; crepes are a versatile way to serve delicious food at any time of the day.

In this recipe we’re filling crepes with a cream cheese filling and topping with fresh strawberries. If you can’t get your hands on fresh strawberries feel free to thaw your frozen strawberries and macerate as explained in the recipe. If your short on time feel free to buy Melissa’s Ready-to-Use Crepes crepes sold at many grocery stores and even on Amazon.com.

French Crepes with Cream Filling and Strawberry Topping

Cream filling

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 6 tablespoons cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Strawberry topping

• 1 pint sliced fresh Florida strawberries
• 1 tbsp sugar

Crepe batter

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
Place cream cheese, cottage cheese, sugar and vanilla in mixer. Blend until smooth. Let filling rest in the refrigerator while you prepare crepes.

Topping:
Rinse, hull and slice fresh Florida strawberries. Toss with sugar and let chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Crepes:
Sift together flour, sugar and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk together. Once well mixed, slowly add in flour mixture just until smooth. Over whisking can cause the crepes to get too rubbery. Next incorporate melted butter into the batter.

A crepe maker or pan is useful but any flat bottomed frying pan will work here. Lightly oil the cooking surface and heat over medium. Pout two tablespoons of crepe batter into the pan, rotating the pan to evenly distribute. If using a crepe maker, use an offset spatula.

When edges are beginning to brown (approximately 30 seconds), turn crepe and cook for 10 more seconds. Remove from pan and cool. Once cool you can stack your crepes and store in a Ziplock bag. Placing a layer of parchment paper or wax paper between each crepe will prevent them from sticking to each other.

Spoon into the center of the crepe some of the filling and roll or fold crepe. Top with macerated strawberries and serve. Feel free to add other fresh fruit and a sprig of mint as garnish.

Three ways you can further jazz this recipe up:

• Substitute 2 tbsp of Cointreau for sugar to macerate the strawberries.
• Add Nutella hazelnut spread to the crepe after folding for a luxuriously chocolate-sweet treat.
• Stuff the crepes with the filling and fresh strawberries and drizzle with strawberry syrup.