Thursday, December 5, 2013

Chocolate/Hazelnut & Banana Crepes

                                                                                   

                                                                           
A crepe is a thin, delicate pancake that can be filled with anything you like. For years, this crepe was all I ordered at my favorite breakfast joint, IHOP (International House Of Pancakes). So you can imagine my disappointment when on one visit our waitress informed me that these Crepes had been discontinued. What?!? It was official. I was in mourning. Don't judge me! Unless you've gotten giddy at the promise of a warm crepe encasing creamy chocolate goodness only heightened by the presence  of naturally sweet, ripe bananas, I don't expect you to understand the cause of my sadness. I needed these Crepes in my life. Was it necessary? Absolutely (at least in my opinion)! And so I set out to recreate them in my kitchen. Here's how I did it...

Equipment:
-Crepe pan or medium non-stick frying pan.
-Blender or hand mixer.

Serving Size: makes 12 large crepes.

Ingredients:
-3 eggs
-11/2 cups milk.
-1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour.
-1/4 cup granulated sugar (optional).
-6 tablespoons water.
-1/2 teaspoon cardamom  powder (optional).
-1/4 teaspoon salt.
-2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted.
-Hazelnut/chocolate spread of your choice (e.g Nutella or any other chocolate/hazelnut spread).
-6 firm, ripe bananas (sliced diagonally).
                                                                                  

Instructions:
-Place all the ingredients in a blender.
                                                                                
-Mix and make sure to scrape the sides of the blender jar to incorporate any unmixed flour. The consistency of the batter should be thin/runny.
                                                                                    
-For best results, allow the batter to rest for 1 hour before you begin cooking the crepes.
-Stir batter before you begin cooking.
-Heat up your crepe pan on medium heat. Lightly spray or grease your pan with cooking spray or canola oil.
-Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into the center of the pan with one hand, lifting the pan with the other hand and quickly tilting the pan around to spread the batter, so it covers the bottom of the pan (too much batter in the pan will result to a thick pancake. The crepe needs to be thin and delicate).
                                                                                        
-Cook for approximately 1 1/2 minutes, until the bottom of the crepe is lightly browned.
                                                                                 
-Loosen the edges of the crepe with a thin spatula and gently flip it over to the other side. Cook for another 1 minute or until the other side also has light golden brown markings.  slide the crepe out of the pan, or use the spatula to lift it out onto a waiting plate.
                                                                                   
-Spread one half of the Hazelnt/Chocolate spread over the crepe, and line the center of the crepe with banana slices as shown in the video/picture.
                                                                                     
-Flip the plain side of the crepe over the side with Hazelnut/chocolate spread, and roll as shown in the video. You can sprinkle some powdered sugar over the finished crepes of you'd like. Your crepes are ready to enjoy.
                                                                                       

TIPS:
-These crepes can be made ahead of time and stacked on top of each other to keep them warm as you cook the batch.
-You can also refrigerate any leftover crepes (well covered in plastic foil) and reheat them in a crepe pan that has been lightly buttered over medium heat the following day.

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