Apple Cinnamon Crepes

Happy National Crepe Day!

February 2nd

How many 12 year olds to you know who come home from school starving and ready for an afternoon snack?  Lots, I'm sure.  But how many 12 year olds do you know who come from school and whip up a batch of crepes??  I credit our Liv Life blog for inspiring my 12 year old to think outside of the pbj sandwich box and for teaching her to make crepes on her own when she wants them.

Our crepe journey began shortly after we launched Liv Life and has grown and considerably improved along the way.  Our first attempts, a lovely strawberry version, produced good, but somewhat gummy (though we didn't realize it at the time) crepes.  When filled with market fresh organic strawberries and topped powdered sugar, though, they were absolutely divine.

Over the years we've continued to use our original recipe, simply tweaking it here and there, learning about the importance of the rest period (allow the batter to rest for about 1 hour after mixing), and adding chocolate on occasion.  However last weekend Liv suggest trying something new... just for fun.

Turning to my buddy (he doesn't know he's my buddy... but he is), Alton Brown, who had just done a piece on crepes on his tv show, I headed to the Food Network for his recipe.  Following his directions to a "T", I forwent my whisk in place of a blender and gave the batter a 10 second whirl as directed.  The batter then received a good hour plus rest in the fridge, and we were ready.

Setting our small nonstick skillet on the stove (Alton says there is no need for a real crepe pan), we heated the pan and swirled in a small amount of butter.  I then ladled a small amount of batter and set once again to swirling.  Hardly believing my eyes, I found I had just produced the thinnest crepe in all of my "extensive" crepe making experience! Not only was it thin, but the first crepe of the batch actually turned out beautifully and didn't have to be sacrificed as many of my first crepes do.

In my excitement, I may have become slightly too exuberant.  Turning to show Liv our beautiful crepe, my elbow hit the ladle sticking out of the blender and that is when the slow motion began.  Ever so slowly the blender began to tip, the batter began to fly and the ladle began to drop.  I must say I don't think I've ever before spread a spill in the kitchen a clean 8 feet, so this was indeed a day of firsts.  And tears.  Well, not really tears, but a very disappointed (and slightly miffed) 12 year old girl who only had one crepe and now had another hour to wait for more.

BSS | Breakfast Interrupted from Bruton Stroube Studios on Vimeo.

This video from Bruton Stroube give an example of our kitchen during The Spill! 

I can confidently say that waiting that hour before making your crepes is a good idea.  We now have first hand experience with a beautiful, well rested batter versus a 30 minute - we can't wait any longer - slightly rested batter.  While the new batch was good, the first and more rested batch was better.  Since our spill day, we have made crepes time and again, and yes, the crepes are worth the wait.

Cinnamon Apple Crepes

Crepe Batter by Alton Brown, Filling by Liv Life

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(See, Alton??  I keep telling you we make a good team..)

1 batch Alton Brown's Sweet Crepe Batter

Filling:

4 apples

2 Tbs butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

2-3 Tbs brown sugar

1 Tbs pure maple syrup (optional, but good!)

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbs milk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
generous pinch ground ginger (optional)
super, teeny, tiny pinch ground cloves

Note:  We sprinkled our Apple Cinnamon Crepes with a spoonful of Maple Granola

Crepes:

Make the crepesr according to Alton's directions - be sure to follow the sweet recipe version by adding 2 1/2 Tbs of sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the batter.

Make the filling:

Peel the apples.  Cut the apples into the desired size.  (We had a bit of discussion about this... while I prefer mine in thin slices, Liv prefers hers chopped.  The choice is yours).

In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Whisk to combine and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sliced (or diced) apples to the pan and stir to coat with the butter.  Sprinkle the apples with the sugar mixture, stirring again to coat.  If you seem to be a bit short on the sugar/cinnamon mixture feel free to add a bit more.

Allow the apples to simmer, turning down the heat if the sugar mixture is bubbling too much, until the apples are soft, but still have a bit of a bite.  Stir in the maple syrup and serve.

Cinnamon Glaze:

Add all of the glaze ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until smooth, adding additional powdered sugar or milk as needed to obtain a nice" drizzle-able" glaze.

Fill the crepes:
Place one crepe on a plate.  Spoon apple mixture down the center of the crepe, leaving enough room to fold.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired (Liv highly advises this step).  Roll up the sides of the crepe and drizzle with the Cinnamon Glaze.

Enjoy!