Crazy for Crepes: Part Deux

I got my first summer job when I was 12 years old. Granted I think I only worked for two weeks that summer, but it was job nonetheless. A family in our church, the Rowands, owned a huge fruit and vegetable farm, and had a busy roadside market in Glassboro, NJ.

I worked at Rowands farm the following two summers as well, picking strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, apples, peaches, grapes and even cutting rhubarb. While the work was hard, I have many fond memories of the sights and smells of working on the farm. I often worked with a group of migrant workers from the Philippines who often amused themselves by teaching me how to say things in their language or trying to get me to try their strange looking lunch dishes that they always told me was monkey meat. "C'mon, try some monkey meat!" they would say, as I wrinkled my nose and vehemently shook my head as I moved to the far end of the lunch picnic table. I seriously doubt they were eating monkey, but they always found this to be quite funny, and would spend the rest of their lunch laughing and pushing their lunch plates towards me.

Now while the monkey meat episodes were not an inspiration to make crepes, the myriads of fresh fruits I ate daily on the farm as a youngster got me thinking. My previous savory crepes had turned out successfully (see Crepe Crazy blog) and I have often seen recipes for sweet crepes. So while my girlfriend diligently scrubbed the dining room floor this morning, I decided that a sweet creamy crepe might be a nice refreshment after all her hard work.

I followed the crepe recipe from my previous blog with the exception of adding a little more nutmeg. Since fresh berries aren't in season, I purchased a big bag of frozen berry mix. It should be noted however, that these frozen "mixes" are 98% strawberries with a few blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries thrown in to meet the marketing requirements. In addition, I did not have any cornstarch, however, it may be prudent to add some while cooking the berry mix to help thicken the sauce. Mine was a little juicy, but deliciously sweet at any rate. Follow my recipe for the crepes on my other crepe blog, and then here are the instructions for the filling:

Ingredients

1 Large Package of frozen berry mix or
1/2 cup each of fresh blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries.
1/2 cup of sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons of cinnamon
1/4 cup of water
Cornstarch
1 Package of cream cheese
Powdered Sugar

Preparation

Add the berries, sugar, cinnamon and water to a large pot and cook over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and then let simmer until sauce thickens. As I mentioned previously I did not have cornstarch to add, so I am not sure how much to add. I will venture a guess to start out with a tablespoon and add more if needed. Stir Occasionally and once sauce has thickened some, remove from heat. To cool the fruit mixture down some, I transferred it to a bowl and then placed it covered in the freezer for about 20 minutes.

Place a crepe on a plate and slice two pieces of cream cheese at your desired thickness and place in the middle of the crepe. Top the cream cheese with the berries and a little of the sauce mixture. Wrap crepe and then flip over, so seam is underneath. Top crepe with some additional berries and sauce and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve.

This dish is sweet and decadent. Could be used for a simple desert, or served with brunch. Would pair well with a Sauvignon Blanc or a somewhat hoppy beer (I paired with Troegs Hopback) to offset the sweetness.

On an additional side note: Andrea had asked if I could include some nutritional information with my recipes. I will do so when I can, however, I am not quite sure how to figure this one up, although with the cream cheese, sugar and additional natural sugars in the fruit, I would say that if you are on a strict diet or diabetic that this is probably not the dish for you. Or you can just indulge and enjoy!