Yaaaaay!!! Spring is here, it's here to stay. With this, it has also brought a whole lot of berries in the supermarkets. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, black berries.....name them, they are all there!! All lined up in neat packs, colorful and sinful eagerly waiting to be picked up by people like me. Much as I miss fruits from my home country, I am taking advantage of the fact that I get to enjoy fruits which are considered exotic back home. Apart from costing a bomb, berries in India lack the taste(they are sour or under ripe) and end up rotting away too soon.
Last year we hoarded on them as it is. I ended up trying only 2 recipes which called for berries. This year, I want to try out much more before the season ends, which will be towards Autumn. So, presenting to you Summer Berry Crepes.
What is a crepe? It is a French pancake generally made from wheat flour or maida too. The word CREPE refers to both the individual pancake and the filled creation. While we do get ready made fillings in plenty both in the bottled and canned form, there is nothing like preparing your own. Here goes the recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda.
- 1 large egg
- 1 and quarter cups milk
- a few drops of vanilla extract
- oil for greasing
- powdered sugar for dusting
For the fruit:
- 1 tablespoon low fat spread
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup orange juice
- 2 cups mixed berries( I used blue and straw berries)
- 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange-flavoored liqueur
Method:
- Sift the flour into a large bowl. Break in the egg and gradually whisk in the milk to form a smooth batter. Stir in the vanilla. Set the batter aside in a cool place for half an hour.
- Apply a light coat of oil in a non stick frying pan. Whisk the batter, then pour a little of it into the hot pan, swirling to cover the bottom evenly. Cook until the mixture comes away from the sides and the crepe is golden underneath.
- Flip over the crepe with a large spatula and cook the other side briefly until golden. Use up the batter to fry the remaining crepes, meanwhile keeping the ready ones warm in an oven or a hot box.
- For the filling, melt the spread in a thick bottomed vessel. Stir in the sugar and cook gently. Add the orange juice and cook until syrupy. Then add the berries and warm through. Turn off and add the liqueur.
- Fold the pancakes into quarters and arrange two on each plate. Spoon on the berry mixture and dust with powdered sugar. Serve the remaining fruit separately (Trust me, there is going to be huge demand for the remaining fruit...:D)
The above recipe makes 8 pancakes. How I wish, I had a cosy little garden along with some garden chairs to relax and sink into this exotic preparation. But for now, we are content with our tiny dining space, digging into the crepes as warm sunshine fills our homes. Boy, do I love spring!!!!!
