Easter is just around the corner and, for many, that means planning a decadent Easter brunch. If that thought fills you with dread, consider a gloriously elegant crepe recipe that allows you to make a couple part of it in advance. Then you can focus on making the crepes fresh and maybe cooking some sausage or bacon to have alongside these festive morning miracles!
Both the blueberry sauce and lemon cannoli cream can be made up to three days in advance. If you do that, the cannoli cream will likely want a bit of stirring before serving and I like to warm the blueberry sauce a little to keep the crepes from being too cold overall. If you make these fillings in advance, please still allow the crepe batter to rest at least 10 minutes before cooking the crepes. That will allow the batter to thicken naturally and will make cooking the crepes much easier.
These crepes are gorgeous on a plate and downright addictive on your fork. Pair them with your favorite breakfast meat selections, fresh muffins, fruit, scrambled eggs, and any other number of brunch buffet favorites ... oh, and don't forget the Easter eggs! Happy Spring!
Lemon Cannoli Crepes with Blueberry Sauce
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 10 oz. blueberries
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Pinch salt
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
To make the blueberry sauce, stir together the granulated sugar with the water, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small saucepan; stir in the blueberries. Bring the mixture to a simmer; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Remove the blueberry sauce from the heat and cool. While you prepare the crepe batter and cannoli filling.
To make the crepe batter, combine the flour, salt, eggs, milk, and melted butter in a bowl and stir vigorously to combine. Allow the batter to rest while you make the cannoli filling.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
Meanwhile, to make the lemon cannoli cream, combine the ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon extract in a medium bowl. Fold in the whipped heavy cream, cover, and refrigerate while cooking the crepes.
To cook the crepes, lightly spray a small nonstick skillet or crepe pan with cooking spray. Heat the pan over medium heat. Carefully pour a few tablespoons of the crepe batter into the center of the pan. Lift the pan and, using your wrist, turn the pan until it is entirely coated with a thin layer of the crepe batter. Cook each side of the crepe for a couple of minutes. When both sides are lightly browned, turn the finished crepe onto a plate and continue with the same procedure until you've used all the crepe batter.
To assemble the crepes, spoon a heaping tablespoon of the cannoli filling into the middle of each crepe, add a heaping tablespoon of the blueberry sauce over the cannoli filling, and carefully fold the two sides over the fillings. If desired, sprinkle some fresh blueberries on the top of each plate of crepes prior to serving.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 40 minutes