Brown-butter crêpes with honey fromage blanc and macerated strawberries
Nine thin brown-butter crêpes filled with fromage blanc whipped with honey and lemon zest, served with strawberries macerated in their red syrup: a leisurely weekend breakfast.
Method
- Melt the 30 g butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes: it will melt, foam, then the little solids on the bottom will turn brown and smell nutty. Pour into a bowl straight away to stop the cooking and leave to cool slightly. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and 8 g sugar; make a well, crack the eggs into it and whisk, gradually drawing in the flour to make a thick, smooth batter. Pour in the milk a little at a time, whisking constantly, then incorporate 20 g of the melted butter (two-thirds); keep the rest in the bowl for greasing the crêpe pan. The batter is ready when it is smooth and free of lumps, has the consistency of pouring cream and coats the back of a spoon; if any lumps remain, pass it through a fine sieve.
- Cover the bowl and leave the batter to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, wash the strawberries whole, dry on a tea towel, then hull and quarter them. Finely grate the zest from the half-lemon (2 g) and set aside, then squeeze out 10 g juice. Toss the strawberries with 10 g sugar and the lemon juice and leave to macerate until serving, stirring once: they will release a red syrup.
- Whisk the fromage blanc with the zest, honey and, to taste, orange blossom water for 30 seconds: it should become smooth, creamy and glossy, sweet with just a hint of tang. Refrigerate.
- Heat the 22 cm crêpe pan over a medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes: a drop of batter should sizzle and set immediately. Fold a piece of kitchen paper into a pad, dip it in the reserved melted butter and grease the pan with a thin film. Stir the batter, pour in a small ladleful (about 55 g, a two-thirds-full ladle) and immediately tilt the pan in every direction: the batter should coat the base in a thin, translucent layer. Cook for 60–90 seconds: the top should turn matt, with no shiny patches, and the edge should brown and lift away on its own. Turn with a spatula and cook for 30 seconds: the second side should have light golden spots. Use this first crêpe to adjust the heat: if it sticks or stays pale, turn it up; if it browns in under 45 seconds, turn it down.
- Continue with the remaining batter, stirring it occasionally and wiping the pan with the buttered paper after every two crêpes: you should have 9 crêpes in all, taking about 15 minutes. Stack on a plate as you go and cover with an upturned plate or a tea towel to keep them soft and warm.
- Once the last crêpe is cooked, wait 3 minutes: a piping-hot crêpe will make the fromage blanc runny. Spread 2 tbsp fromage blanc (about 30 g) over one half of each of 8 crêpes, top with a few drained strawberry quarters (about 20 g), fold the other half over, then fold in half again to form a fan. Serve straight away, 4 crêpes per person, topped with the remaining strawberries and their syrup. The first crêpe, used to adjust the heat, is for the cook.
On your plate
Recipe
649 kcal · protein 27 g · carbs 69 g · fat 27 g
Quantities per person
- 50 g Plain wheat flour
- 55 g Eggs
- 125 g Fresh milk, 3% fat (1 litre carton)
- 15 g Unsalted butter, 82% fat (200 g block)
- 9 g White sugar
- 0.5 g Fine salt
- 125 g Soft white cheese, 5% fat (gvina levana, 250 g pot)
- 7.5 g Honey
- 125 g Strawberries
- 30 g Lemon
- 1.5 g Unsweetened culinary orange blossom water
Cooking tips
For a weekday morning, make the batter the evening before and keep covered in the fridge: allow 30 minutes in the morning; whisk before cooking and loosen with a spoonful of milk if it has thickened. For tart strawberries, add another 5 g sugar when macerating. The first crêpe is used to adjust the heat. Outside strawberry season (December to April in Israel), use a ripe banana, sliced, and a drizzle of honey. For blintzes, the Jewish Shavuot classic sold throughout Israel: first drain the fromage blanc in the fridge for 1 hour in a colander lined with a tea towel (otherwise the filling will run out in the pan), then mix in an egg yolk (from an extra egg). Cook the crêpes on one side only, fill on the cooked side, fold each into a parcel, then brown for 2 minutes per side in an extra 10 g butter; serve with the macerated strawberries.
French brown-butter crêpes; the honey fromage blanc filling is similar to that of Eastern European Jewish blintzes, which have become a Shavuot dish in Israel.
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