As far as I’m concerned, the only way to even think about serving crêpes to more people than just yourself is to make them well in advance. Follow this advice and you will enjoy a peaceful existence. Disregard it and suffer. Okay, maybe it’s not quite that bad, but seriously. Have you ever tried to make crêpes in real time? It’s stressful!
Here’s the proper approach:
Go into the kitchen and whisk the crêpe batter together. It’s super simple, and it’s a one-bowl situation. 10 minutes and you’re done.
Next, setup your crêpe cooking operation. This involves an 8- or 9-inch pan (the nonstickiest one you own), butter, a paper towel, two spatulas (a bendy silicone one and a plastic one), a clean kitchen towel, a large dinner plate, and a cell phone equipped with Instagram and Spotify.
Cooking crêpes is a bit of a lengthy operation, and that’s where the aforementioned apps come in. Spotify plays non-stop music (something you can sing along to is best) and Instagram will keep you occupied in 3-minute bursts while each crêpe cooks. Unless you like watching grass grow, in which case you may prefer to watch crêpes cook. This is up to you.
Anyways, once you’re all set up, the pan gets swiped with butter, a little batter goes into the pan, Instagram-browsing commences, the crêpe gets flipped then removed to the kitchen towel, folded, set on the dinner plate, and repeat.
When all of the crêpes are cooked and neatly stacked, you can forget about them until assembly time. All they need is about 10-15 minutes in a hot oven to warm up. Isn’t that nice?
I topped these crêpes with bananas, homemade chocolate syrup, almond butter drizzle, fresh whipped cream, and candied cacao nibs.
ricotta crêpes with bananas and chocolate
adapted from the bojon gourmet
[ serves four ]
for the crêpes:
⅓ cup (35 grams) oat flour
⅓ cup (45 grams) millet flour
⅓ cup (50 grams) sweet rice flour
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup (235 ml) milk
1 cup (235 ml) whole milk ricotta
Butter, for cooking the crêpes
for the candied cacao nibs:
3 tablespoons cacao nibs
2 tablespoons sugar
½ tablespoon butter
for the almond butter drizzle:
¼ cup creamy unsalted almond butter
¼ cup almond milk
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
for assembly:
2 bananas, sliced
Chocolate syrup
Whipped cream
To make the crêpes, measure the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the eggs, butter, honey, and ¼ cup of milk. Whisk into a smooth, paste-y batter. Slowly whisk in the rest of the milk. Add the ricotta and whisk to combine. If the batter is too thick, you may need to add an extra tablespoon or two of milk.
Place an 8- or 9-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add a small amount of butter and use a wadded up paper towel to swipe a thin layer all over the pan. Keep the paper towel to re-wipe as often as necessary between crêpes.
Pour ⅓ cup batter into the hot pan and quickly tilt and swirl to cover the bottom of the entire pan. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the edges turn golden brown. Run a flexible spatula around the edge and then slide it gently under the crêpe. Lift half of the crêpe up and slide the plastic spatula underneath. Then use your fingers and the spatula to gently turn the crêpe over. Cook for about 1 more minute. Slide the crêpe out of the pan onto the kitchen towel, fold into quarters, and transfer to the plate. Repeat with the remaining crêpes.
Keep in mind as you cook the crêpes that it’s totally fine to adjust the heat as needed… if you find that the pan is too hot to get the batter spread around before it firms up, lower the heat and continue. Maybe in a few minutes you’ll need to turn it back up. Maybe not. Intuition.
Once all the crêpes have been cooked and stacked, cover the plate with plastic wrap. If you’ll be serving the crêpes within a few hours, leave the plate out. If you’re serving them the next day, set them in the refrigerator.
To make the candied cacao nibs, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Toast the cacao nibs briefly until they’re fragrant, about one minute. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Add the sugar to the skillet and allow it to melt. Pour the cacao nibs back in and add the butter. Toss around with a rubber spatula, then immediately transfer to a sheet of parchment paper. Spread apart with two forks and allow to cool completely before giving them a rough chop.
To make the almond butter drizzle, whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Add a few extra drops of almond milk if necessary to achieve a drizzly consistency.
Reheat the crêpes in a 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Place two crêpes on each plate and drizzle with chocolate syrup and almond butter. Divide the banana slices equally among the plates. Top with a spoonful of whipped cream and sprinkle with candied cacao nibs. Serve immediately.
Note: Don’t let all of the components and ingredients scare you off… make the crêpes in well in advance (up to one day). The cacao nibs only take about 15 minutes to candy, and can be made in advance as well. The almond butter drizzle comes together in roughly 3 minutes. Make the chocolate syrup in advance (it’s super quick). And you always make your own whipped cream, right?