Showing posts with label Melissa's Ready-to-Use Crêpes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Melissa's Ready-to-Use Crêpes. Show all posts

Thursday, February 10, 2022

Cherry Cheesecake Blintzes

If you are looking for a sweet and romantic way to start your Valentine’s Day (or any day for that matter) nothing is easier than these make ahead Cherry Cheesecake Blintzes. This is my mother’s recipe, and was but one of the dozen or more dishes that would line the buffet table at her annual Christmas brunch. Employing the use of ready-made crêpes from Melissa’s Produce, and pressing your cookie scoop into service, these go together in no time.

Cherry Cheesecake Blintzes

1 10-count pkg.
Melissa’s Ready Made Crêpes

Filling:
1 15-oz. container ricotta cheese
1 large egg, beaten
2 T. sugar
½ t. almond extract
¼ t. vanilla extract
2 T. butter, melted

Sauce:
1 15-oz. can
pitted sweet cherries, drained, reserve ½ c. liquid
2 t. cornstarch
½ t. almond extract
Pinch of cinnamon

Spray a
1.5-qt. oven safe casserole dish with Pam; set aside.

In a small bowl combine all filling ingredients EXCEPT the butter; whisk until creamy. Spoon 2 tablespoons filling (I used a
cookie scoop) in the center of each crêpe. For the two opposite edges of the crêpe to overlap filling, and then fold in the remaining sides, forming a square packet. Place each blintz, seam side down into prepared dish. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight (these can be refrigerated up to two days).

Heat oven to 400°F. Remove cover from blintzes and brush with melted butter. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until light golden brown. While blintzes are baking prepare sauce.

Sauce: In a medium saucepan combine cornstarch and reserved cherry liquid. Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens, about 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in cherries, almond extract and pinch of cinnamon. Heat thoroughly. Serve over blintzes and garnish as desired.

Serves 4 to 5


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Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Toffee Caramel Banana Crêpes


An unexpected guest dropped by the other day, and stayed far longer than I expected (read: he would not leave!). Yes, apparently, I am that delightful. I was in the midst of something, hadn’t had lunch, so during the last hour of our visit, my stomach growled uncontrollably. Finally, waiting for him to take a breath so that I could interrupt the onslaught of conversation, I asked if he would like a cup of coffee and a sandwich. Yes, he told me, he would like a cup of coffee, but since he’d had lunch, he’d prefer to have dessert with his coffee. Dessert? Who said anything about dessert?! Is the word “Bakery” stamped on my forehead? I was so weak from hunger that I agreed to serve him desert with coffee before I realized that I didn’t have any.

The entire time I was in the kitchen grinding coffee beans, slicing bread for my sandwich, and getting out lettuce, tomato, ham, and cheese, my brain was on overload. Dessert, dessert, what do I have that I could use as dessert? I scanned the room left to right, right to left. I spotted a rather sad bunch of bananas that had seen better days, grabbed them, and set them on the counter in front of me. What would go with bananas, I wondered? I started rummaging through the cabinets, as discreetly as possible, pulling out a package of
Melissa’s Ready-to-Use Crêpes, a jar of salted caramel sauce, toffee bits, and, while grabbing the mustard from the fridge, pulled out a bowl of Devonshire cream that I had made the day before.


As I was slicing my sandwich and plating it, I laid a crêpe out on the cutting board, topped it with a dollop of the Devonshire cream, bananas, toffee bits, rolled it up, gave it another topping of everything, drizzled it with caramel sauce, plated it, and handed it to my wordy guest along with a fork. He didn’t bother with the fork, simply picked up the crêpe as though it were a hotdog, and took a big bite. Sounds of ecstasy emanated from deep within. Mutterings of “delicious,” “exceptional,” and “SO good,” followed. Obviously, he loved it. This was not the first time that I silently thanked Melissa‘s Produce for saving my bacon. Their crêpes have saved the day for me time and time again. They last a good while in the pantry, but also freeze beautifully, so it’s wise to have a couple of packages on hand. My friend added that peanuts would be good crumbled on top, so I made him another one and added peanuts. I think for a moment there he visited heaven.

I had considered calling these Emergency Banana Crêpes, but decided instead upon Toffee Caramel Banana Crêpes, because it sounded so much tastier. Don’t be put off by their austere appearance, there is decadent goodness contained within. These are good, folks, and easy, and cool, and perfect for summer. Consider using any fruit that you happen to have on hand such as strawberries, blueberries, or peaches. Any one (or a combination) of those would be sensational. So cool yourself off, and treat yourself to this delicious, easy, last-minute dessert.
Toffee Caramel Banana Crêpes

1
Melissa’s Ready-to-Use Crêpes
1 banana (or fresh fruit of your choice)
2-3 tablespoons Devonshire cream (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon toffee bits (I used
Heath Bits-of-Brickle)
1 tablespoon Salted Caramel Sauce

Place crêpe on a flat surface. Dollop Devonshire cream down the center, top with slices of banana, and about a tablespoon of brickle bits. Roll up, place on a plate, top with more Devonshire cream, bits, and a couple of slices of banana, and drizzle salted caramel over all. You may also consider adding chopped peanuts, or a sprinkling of
fleur de sel to up the saltiness. Experiment and have fun, you simply cannot go wrong.

Devonshire Cream

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Beat together cream cheese, sugar, and salt. Slowly stream in whipping cream, beating constantly, and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Chill for two hours before serving. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

NOTE: I used my stand mixer with the whisk attachment to make this. I found it worked much better when streaming in the cream. As you can see from the photos, the results were beautiful.


A savory way in which to use these life-saving crêpes is this crowd-pleasing Chicken and Mushroom Crêpe Casserole.


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Thursday, June 1, 2017

Chicken and Mushroom Crêpes


If you don't make crêpes because of the hassle of, well, making crêpes, then let me introduce you to a product from Melissa's Produce that I always have on hand. Melissa's Ready-to-Use Crêpes come in packages of nine, are every bit as good as homemade without the hassle, work equally well for both sweet and savory dishes, freeze beautifully, and have saved me many times.

They work equally well for breakfast, brunch, and lunch as they do for dessert and dinner. You can wrap almost anything up in a crêpe, top it with something sweet or savory, and have a wonderful main dish, side dish, or dessert.

I twisted my knee over the weekend, no surprise considering all of the furniture moving and heavy lifting that I do, so didn't want to struggle out to the supermarket today. I did, however, want a nice meal, so I rummaged around in the fridge to see what was available, and made these delicious crêpes.
Chicken and Mushroom Crêpes

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/3 cup diced celery
1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons butter (not to be confused with the unsalted butter above)
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 cups homemade chicken stock
2/3 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon chicken soup base (I use Jamison)
2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
1 package of
Melissa's Ready-to-Use Crêpes

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 1-1/2 quart baking dish with Pam; set aside.

Melt unsalted butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Stir in mushrooms and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in onion, cook for 2 to 3 minutes, and, lastly, stir in garlic and cook for one minute more. Add butter, stirring until melted, and then sprinkle in flour, stir together and allow to cook for 1 to 2 minutes to get rid of the floury taste. Stir in the sherry, and the chicken stock, a little bit at a time, continuing to stir in the doing. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, and allow to simmer until mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, salt and pepper, and the chicken soup base, and continue to simmer until sauce thickens again. 

Place chicken in a mixing bowl, and pour some of the sauce on top of it, 1/3 cup at a time, stirring after each addition, until the chicken comes together, much in the same way chicken salad would come together. Divide chicken among six crêpes (or more depending upon how full you want each crêpe), roll up, and place seam side down into your baking dish. Place into your oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Warm the remainder of the sauce, pour over the crêpes, and serve.

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