A while back I bought a ton of bananas real cheap and wanted to make something for breakfast with them--besides banana bread, muffins, cake, etc. That was the first time I ever tried making crepes. I actually had never even tasted a crepe but they have always sounded delightful. Don't know why I waited so long to try making crepes--they are easy!
Crepes do take some time to make but the results are worth it. If I was smart I’d get two pans going at the same time and it would go faster. But I’m usually throwing together my filling(s) at the same time so maybe that’s why I’ve not done that yet. You can even make the crepes one day and fill and eat them another day. We’ve even been known to use leftover crepes in the way I grew up eating lefse—smear on a thin amount of butter, sprinkle with sugar, roll up, and enjoy!
I’m still coming up with fillings we like. Blueberry is a front runner but fresh strawberries alone or with some of the blueberries was good too. Tried using strawberries in place of the bananas but fresh ones are much better. Raspberry should be good too but I cooked them too much this time around so the jury is out on those. Raspberries may be like strawberries in which they are better off left fresh and uncooked. I’m working on a blueberry filling taken from my blueberry pie recipe and happy tummies are being made. I’ve also been looking for savory fillings but so far the reviews have not been too positive. If you’ve had fillings you’ve liked let me know and maybe I can figure out how to make that filling.
I would think you could use and canned pie filling very successfully.
For now I’ll start with sharing the recipe I started with......Banana Crepes. I’ve already modified how I make them from the original recipe—cutting corners and/or adjusting for personal preferences. If you want to see the original go to: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Creamy-Banana-Crepes. Taste of Home uses a mixture of sour cream and confectioner’s sugar with the fruit filling but I’ve never made them that way. I had some low or non-fat vanilla flavored yogurt in the fridge the first time I made them and thought that could be yummy. <It was.> And we liked that so I’ve never tried sour cream. I couldn’t see mixing sour cream/yogurt with sugar for the filling—what would you do with any leftovers? I decided you could save that step and just sprinkle the filling with sugar—but in using yogurt we’ve found we don’t even need that extra sugar; don’t know that you would with sour cream either. Below is how I make them J.
Creamy Banana Crepes
CREPES:
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
*BANANA FILLING: (I usually need to make more filling than this)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 medium firm bananas, cut into 1/4-inch slices (if they are starting to get soft it’s fine)
ADDITIONAL FILLING INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (8 ounces) low or non-fat yogurt (plain, vanilla, or complementary flavor to filling) (or sour cream)
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted (optional)
TOPPING:
Additional confectioners' sugar and toasted almonds (optional)
In a small to medium bowl, combine the water, milk, eggs, butter and vanilla. Combine the flour, sugar and salt; add to milk mixture and mix well. The original said “Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour”—I never have. I mix it and it sits on the counter a bit while I’m getting ready to start cooking but that’s the most “sitting” my batter ever does.
Heat a lightly greased 8-in. nonstick skillet; pour 3 tablespoons batter into the center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to evenly coat bottom. Cook for 1-2 minutes until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter. The original says “When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between“. I just stack them slightly uneven. Any leftovers unfilled crepes I let cool and then put in a ziplock bag and then to the fridge.
In a small skillet, heat butter and brown sugar over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add bananas; toss to coat. Remove from the heat; keep warm. This goes fast so you can wait to do this step when you are getting closer to wanting to serve them. We find we like them cooked a little longer than just tossing to coat so cook to your preference.
Spread about a tablespoon (more or less, to taste) of yogurt over the center of each crepe. Spoon banana filling over yogurt filling; sprinkle with almonds, if desired. Roll up crepes; sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and toasted almonds (both optional, but yummy and makes them “prettier”).
Yield: 1 dozen.
*NOTE: Fresh sliced strawberries alone or with some banana filling is an easy filling substitution/addition.
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