In Provence, crepes are often served simply, embellished with just sugar, jam, or liqueur. Here, the addition of walnuts and orange peel to the crepe batter adds a bit of flair, and a fig and raspberry filling flavored with Muscat and vanilla bean dresses them up even more. If Muscat is unavailable, Essensia, a sweet orange Muscat wine made in California, is a great substitute. 6 servings
Filling
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1½ cups chopped dried Calimyrna figs
1 12-ounce package frozen raspberries (about 3 cups), thawed, juices reserved
1 cup Muscat
1 cup water
¼ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
Crepes
1 cup (or more) whole milk
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
3 large eggs
¼ cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
¼ teaspoon saltAdditional melted butterAdditional sugar
1 8-ounce container crème fraîche or sour cream
2 tablespoons honey
FILLING: Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into heavy medium saucepan; add bean. Add figs, raspberries with juices, Muscat, 1 cup water, brown sugar, honey, and orange peel. Bring to simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer over medium heat until figs are tender, about 30 minutes. Cool. Remove vanilla bean.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.
CREPES: Combine 1 cup milk, flour, eggs, walnuts, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, orange peel, and salt in blender. Blend until smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of blender. Cover and chill batter in blender 2 hours. Reblend batter 5 seconds. If necessary, thin batter with additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, to consistency of heavy cream.
Place paper towel on plate. Heat 9-inch-diameter nonstick skillet with 7-inch-diameter bottom over medium-high heat. Brush skillet with additional melted butter. Pour scant ¼ cup crepe batter into skillet, tilting skillet quickly to coat bottom. Cook until top of crepe appears dry and bottom is golden, loosening sides of crepe with spatula, about 35 seconds. Turn crepe over; cook until brown spots appear on bottom, about 20 seconds. Turn crepe out onto prepared plate. Repeat with remaining batter. Stack crepes on plate, layering between paper towels.
Brush 13×9×2-inch glass baking dish with melted butter. Spoon generous 2 tablespoons filling onto center of spotted side of 1 crepe. Spread filling over crepe, leaving 1-inch plain border. Fold crepe in half, then fold in half again, forming triangle shape. Place filled crepe in prepared dish. Repeat with remaining crepes and filling, overlapping crepes slightly in dish. Brush crepes lightly with melted butter. Sprinkle lightly with additional sugar. Cover dish with foil. Stir crème fraîche and honey in small bowl to blend.
DO AHEAD: Crepes and honey crème fraîche can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake crepes, covered, until heated through, about 20 minutes. Place 2 crepes on each of 6 plates. Top with dollop of honey crème fraîche and serve.
Crepe EssentialsPAN: You can buy a special crepe pan (they start at about $20), but a 9-inch-diameter nonstick skillet works just as well.LADLE: One-ounce ladles are available at restaurant supply stores (for about $10). Or just use a ¼-cup measuring cup, filled halfway.SPATULA: A heat-resistant spatula made of silicone (about $9) will help you coax the crepes out of the pan.
This recipe requires a bit of last-minute assembly. Line up the components and corral a few guests to help so that everything goes smoothly. 6 servings
Crepes
1 cup whole milk
½ cup cornstarch
¼ cup unbleached all purpose flour
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Rum Butter Sauce
½ cup sugar
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
3 tablespoons dark rum
Tropical Fruit
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 cup ¾-inch cubes peeled cored fresh pineapple
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 cup ¾-inch cubes peeled seeded papaya (from about 1 large)
1 cup ¾-inch cubes peeled pitted mango (from about 1 large)
CREPES: Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Cover and chill in blender 4 hours. Reblend for 5 seconds before using.
Line plate with paper towel or parchment paper. Heat 9-inch-diameter nonstick skillet with 7-inch-diameter bottom over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons crepe batter to skillet; tilt and swirl skillet to spread batter evenly over bottom. Cook until center of crepe is cooked through and edges are lightly browned, about 1 minute. Run spatula around crepe and invert onto prepared plate. Repeat with remaining batter, layering crepes between paper towels or sheets of parchment paper.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
RUM BUTTER SAUCE: Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and coarse salt in medium bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add rum and beat until well blended.