Crepes

I can remember the first time I had this crepe dish. It was at this small, hole-in-the-wall breakfast joint in LBI called: The Sandbox Cafe. If you ever find yourself in Shipbottom, New Jersey please visit this restaurant, everything I tried there was absolutely delicious. This recipe is a take on their specialty crepe with secret cream cheese filling and fresh berries.

The thing I love about crepes is that you can pretty much fill them with anything. At The Sandbox Cafe, I had them with fruit and I also tried them with scrambled eggs, onions, and peppers. I've also had them with Nutella. So pretty much let your imagination go wild.

I'm not really sure where I found this recipe. I've been using it for months now and the source has been lost, but I guarantee it makes the most delicious crepes. I found that the full recipe makes too many for the four of us at my apartment, so I usually cut it in half which still leaves me with leftover crepes.

To start, you're going to want to get together: milk, flour, sugar, eggs, salt, and lemon juice for the crepes themselves.

Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.

Whisk everything together until you have a thin batter. Try to get out as many lumps as possible, but if some are left behind, the crepes will still taste amazing.

Heat a small skillet over low heat. Once hot, cover the bottom of the pan with cooking spray or a small pat of butter.

Pour a little less than 1/4 cup of batter into the pan.

As soon you finish pouring the batter, remove from heat and rotate until the batter completely covers the bottom of the pan. You want to make sure that it is as thin as possible. I tend to rotate the pan between 3-5 times to get it to the desired thinness.

Let the batter cook for about 30 seconds to a minute. Then using a spatula, flip and allow to cook for another 30 seconds until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and repeat with the rest of the batter.

After you've finished cooking your crepes, begin to make your filling. I'm providing two different versions. One is the cream cheese fruit filling that can be seen in the first picture, the second is an apple pie-esque filling. Both are amazing, but of course there is no limit to the types of fillings you can use for these crepes.

Cream Cheese Filling:

For this filling, you're going to need: cream cheese, lemon juice, and powdered sugar. 

Now here is where I have to apologize because I just tested out the measurements until I found the consistency and amount I needed. For about 8 crepes, I would suggest using these measurements. If you would like more, just double the recipe.

I started with about 1/4 of the cream cheese bar and placed it in a small bowl.

I added about 1/4 cup of powdered sugar to the cream cheese. 

I then added about 1 to 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Mix it together until you have what I would consider a thick cream cheese icing. It should be sweet, but not terribly so. It's more about the cream cheese flavor than just sweetness.

Next comes assembly! I start with two crepes.

Spread a few dollops of the filling on the crepes.

Spoon on some berries. I used a combination of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, yum!

Roll up, and enjoy!

Apple Pie Filling:

For this version, you'll need: sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and an apple.

Cut the apple into thick slices.

Add about a scant tablespoon of both the flour and sugar and a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Mix together and microwave for about 30 seconds to allow the juices of the apple to be released.

Place along the middle of the crepe and roll up. Drizzle on some maple syrup and enjoy!

This crepe recipe will impress everyone and you don't have to let them know that it's super simple! Recipe below!

Crepes

Makes roughly 16 crepes.

Ingredients:

For the crepes:

1 1/4 cups milk

1 cup flour

3 whole eggs

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

For the cream cheese filling:

1/4 bar cream cheese

1/4 cup (roughly) powdered sugar

1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice (depending on consistency)

For the apple pie filling:

An apple

Scant tablespoon sugar

Scant tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions:

For the crepes:

Combine all of the ingredients together with a whisk. Heat a small skillet on low heat. Melt a small pat of butter or spray the pan with cooking spray. Pour a little less than 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and rotate until it completely covers the bottom of the pan, getting it as thin as possible. Allow the crepe to cook for 30 seconds to a minute or until golden brown. Flip the crepe using a spatula and do the same for the other side. Repeat these steps for each crepe, spraying or melting butter before each crepe.

For the cream cheese filling:

Combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Mix together until it has the consistency of a thick icing.

For the apple pie filling:

Slice up an apple and place in a bowl. Sprinkle in the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix together. Microwave for about 30 seconds to allow the juices of the apple to be released.

Assemble:

Place either filling in the middle of the crepes and add any extra ingredients. Roll up and enjoy!