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Crepe Fillings

Written by Translator on May 12, 2008 – 4:29 pm -

Crepes, as I mentioned the other day, are really versatile and may be used with either sweet or savory fillings. I normally make ones with sweet fillings, so will talk about them today and savory ones another time.

The fillings can be just about any kind of fruit. My favorite is one made with apricots, either fresh or dried. Fresh ones of course are a little better, but dried apricots cook up well. Depending on the batch, either fresh or dried ones may need a little extra sugar (sucralose could also be used). If you are in a hurry, you can buy canned pie filling, but to do that with fresh crepes is sort of like putting grocery store queso sauce on home made green chile enchiladas.

Any soft fruit can be prepared by this method. Apricots have very tender skins, so something like peaches or plums should have their skins slipped first. Take how ever much fruit you think you will need (between one to two ounces fresh fruit per crepe, less for dried) and cook briefly. Mash just a little (you do not want a paste, some chunks of fruit make it better) and adjust sweetness. Add corn starch dispersed in cold water to thicken (arrowroot works well, too, and gives a more clear product). These fruit crepes will be served cold, so be sure to check the filling for sweetness after it is cold since cold foods do not taste as sweet and hot foods do.

Whip some heavy cream until nice peaks form. Add a little more sugar than you think you will need, because for each two volumes of whipped cream you are going to blend in one volume of cream cheese (reduced fat, or Neufchatel, is fine for this). Be sure to put some vanilla in the mixture.

Fill the crepes with about two tablespoons of fruit filling, depending on the size of the pan that you used to prepare the crepes. You want to end up with a cylinder about 3/4 to one inch in diameter once rolled. Roll, and place on serving dish with the seam down. Fill an icing bag, using whatever decorative tip you prefer, and pipe on the whipped cream/cream cheese mixture. I like to use quite a little, but that is up to your taste. If not served immediately, cover and refrigerate until serving.

Harder fruits like apples and such may also be used as filling, but require a little more cooking before using. I have not tried a filling yet that I did not like. Blackberries and raspberries are wonderful, too. I bet that Kiwi would be good, and have a very interesting color, but have not tried them yet. The whipped cream/cream cheese mixture holds its shape much better than plain whipped cream, and the slight sour taste of the cream cheese is a very nice balance to the sweet of the whipped cream.

You are not limited to fruit fillings. AAF pointed out that he likes a chocolate filling, and suspect it would be very good. I bet that a cold vanilla custard would be good, too. He added the picture of a beautiful stack of crepes with chocolate with fruit on top for my Basic Crepes post. I usually roll them, because I often take them to pot lucks and such, so everyone can get a single serving by just using a spatula to take it off the serving dish.

The fruit filled crepes keep well enough that you can assemble them the night before you serve them without the filling running everywhere, but darker fruit like blueberries and blackberries are better assembled that morning since the juice is more noticeable.

You are limited only by your imagination, so have at it! Warmest regards, Doc.

Tags: Cream Cheese, Crepes, Custard, Food, Fruit Filling, Vanilla, Whipped Cream
Posted in Diaries, Recipes |