Astha and Orange Blossom Citrus Crêpes

Although crêpes aren’t limited to sweet filling but my entire family has a sweet tooth so when crêpes appear for brunch or dessert there are always lots of smiles. And this gloomy, 2 feet of snow kind of weather could use some brightening up. So we present to you our favorite combo as of yet. Citrus orange blossom crêpes, filled with Ashta cream, a drizzle of Seville orange jam and a dusting of pistachios. My husbands bday is coming up so a chocolate or a peanut butter version might be coming up.

Making crêpes is a fun skill to have in your cooking repertoire. Crêpes are a blank canvas for sweet and savory dishes. Change your fillings and flavorings and they are perfect for any occasion and they are great to serve for brunch, dinner or dessert.

You can make crêpes at home so easily with no fancy tools or special equipment as long as you have a non stick pan you are good to go. The batter comes together in the blender. Because the blender incorporates more air into it, resulting in a very light and tender crêpes with those characteristic tiny air bubbles on top.

Astha and orange blossom citrus crêpes

Makes: about 8 - 12 crepes

The amount of crêpes depends on the size of your pan and the thickness of your crêpes

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 cups milk ( I used 2%)

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• Pinch of salt

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon orange blossom water

• 1-2 additional melted butter to brush the pan for cooking the crêpes

• To serve:

• 1 Ashta recipe (can be prepared a few days in advance)

• 2-3 any orange variety, peeled and thinly sliced or segmented

• Seville orange jam or any citrus jam you like

• Crushed pistachios

Tools you need:

Tools you need:

~ A thin spatula

~ A nonstick Pan: I used a 9 inch nonstick pan or 9-inch crêpe pan (see note for other pan sizes)

~ Blender or a bowl and a whisk

To Make the batter.

Place the flour, milk, eggs, butter, salt, sugar, and orange blossom in a blender. Blend well until the batter is smooth, scraping down the sides until everything is incorporated.

The blender is not a must but what it does is that it incorporates more air into the batter, resulting in a very light and tender crêpe with those characteristic tiny air bubbles. If you don’t have a blender just which really well until frothy.

Cover and let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 2 days in the fridge. I usually make mine the night before and I cook them the next day.

Resting the batter allows the flour to absorb the liquid and the gluten to relax resulting in a light and tender crêpe.

Place your non stick pan or 8-inch crêpe pan over medium heat and brush the pan with melted butter to coat the bottom.

Pour in about 1/4 cup of batter. Immediately pick up the pan and swirl it to create an even layer on the bottom of the pan.

When the crêpe has browned slightly on the bottom, loosen it around the edges with your spatula and carefully flip it. Cook the second side for 20 seconds, just to set the batter.

slide your crepes onto a plate or preferably a wire rack so they don’t steam. Continue by seasoning the pan with butter, 1/4 cup batter until the batter is finished.

To Serve:

Stuff or top your crepes with the Ashta cream, a dollop of Seville Oranges jam and some fresh orange segments and crunchy pistachios

Recipe tips:

If you don’t have a blender you can whisk everything together in a bowl until thoroughly combined and frothy.

Heat:

Finding the perfect temperature for making crêpes important. Start with medium heat or just a little lower, and adjust from there. Once you find that sweet spot with heat it will go fast.

Nonstick Pan is key: sure you can use a crêpe pan but it’s not necessary as long as you have a nonstick surface. crêpe pans have low sides to make it easier to get a spatula in there to flip them.

Pan size to batter ratio:

To get deliciously thin crêpes use this general rule of thumb:

8-inch pan: 3 tablespoons of batter

10-inch pan: 1/4 cup of batter

12-inch pan – 1/3 cup of batter

Storing crêpes:

crêpe batter: It’ll keep for up to 2 days in the fridge

Ready made crêpes store in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for a few months. Put a parchment paper in between the layers and store in a ziplock bag.