Feel free to top your crepes with warm preserves, maple syrup, or just a sprinkle of powdered sugar. In fact, I did just that:
Adapted from Alton Brown’s crepes. If you don’t have rum, you can substitute your favorite liqueur.
Crepes:
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup flour (5 oz)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp spiced rum
- 1 pinch salt
- Butter, for coating the pan
Cheese Filling:
- 1 cup farmer’s cheese
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
Caramelized Bananas:
- 2 firm bananas, sliced (they should be just ripe enough for eating, but not mushy)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp spiced rum
- 1 pinch cinnamon
Alternate toppings:
- Warm preserves, maple syrup, or powdered sugar
Directions:
- For the batter: combine all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until fully combined, about 10 to 15 seconds (if you see any streaks of dry flour on the inside of the blender, scrape down the sides and pulse to incorporate). Refrigerate the batter for about an hour to let it rest and allow most of the bubbles to dissipate.
- For the cheese filling: While the batter is resting, beat together the cheeses and sugar until combined. Add the vanilla, lemon juice, and egg yolk and continue to beat until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl often. There may still be a few lumps from the farmer’s cheese, but that’s fine.
- For the crepes: Heat a nonstick crepe pan over medium to medium-high heat, and add a very small amount of butter to barely coat. Pour a little batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly along the bottom and slightly up the sides. You want just enough batter to coat the pan. My pan took a scant 1/4 cup of batter at a time, but yours may need less. Cook the crepe for about 30 seconds or so, just enough to set the batter on top. Then gently flip and cook the other side briefly, another 10 seconds. I like to use a heat-resistant silicon spatula and carefully run it around the edges to loosen the crepe before I flip it. Remove the finished crepe to a sheet of wax paper. Repeat with the rest of the crepe batter, laying the crepes out flat if you want them to cool, or stacking them if you’ll be serving them immediately (this helps them retain heat). You can put a small piece of wax paper between them if you wish, but I’ve never really found it to be necessary.
- For the bananas: In a small nonstick pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat and lay the bananas cut side down in the butter. Let them fry undisturbed until golden brown, maybe a minute or two, then turn them carefully. Sprinkle them with the cinnamon and sugar, and add the rum to the pan. Continue to cook for another minute, giving the pan an occasional shake to coat the bananas with the sauce. Serve immediately over the crepes.
- To serve: Fill the crepes with the cheese filling, and top with the bananas, or with whatever topping blows your skirt up.
