Image by Emilie Zanger
My sweet, gooey Valentine
The quickest way to your Valentine's heart is through their stomach with these chocolate strawberry crepes
By Emilie Zanger
Published: February 10th, 2005 | 5:34pm
Want to bewitch and beguile your lovah with something especially decadent for Valentine's Day? Forget the racy lingerie! The real action happens in the kitchen. Break out the bubbly and crank up the Barry White, because this is the start of a Valentine’s night that’s guaranteed to be out of this world! This recipe makes at least 8 crepes, so you and your honey can do it all over again the next night. Mmm, mmm good.
Chocolate Strawberry Sin-sation Crepes
Crepe batter:
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
½ cup milk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoon salt
Filling:
1 8-oz. brick of cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup sour cream
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
¼ cup confectioner’s sugar
Sauce:
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen strawberries, pureed
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup strawberries, washed, stemmed, and sliced
whipped cream
To make the batter, combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend for 5 seconds. Turn off the motor and, with a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the container, then blend for 20 seconds more. Transfer the batter to a bowl, cover it, and refrigerate for about an hour.
In the meantime, you can start on the filling. In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, and melted chocolate chips. Blend on low using an electric mixer. While blending, add the confectioner’s sugar slowly, and keep blending until smooth. Cover and store in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
For the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan, then add the sugar and cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes. Add the pureed strawberries and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the mixture isn’t burning.
To cook the crepes, lightly brush an 8-inch skillet (non-stick works best) with melted butter and heat over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, remove it from the heat and pour in ¼ cup of the batter, swirling the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Return to the heat and cook about 30 seconds. Turn the crepe using a flexible rubber spatula and cook 15 seconds on the other side. Turn the crepe off onto a plate. Repeat until the batter is all gone.
Assembling the crepes is the fun part! Spread a couple of spoonfuls of the filling in a line across the bottom third of a crepe and then gently roll up from the bottom to make a sort of flat burrito. Place the filled crepes in a covered container and keep them warm until all of the crepes have been rolled.
For a delicious presentation, criss-cross two of the crepes on a plate and drizzle some of the strawberry sauce over and around them. Top with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
Issue #33
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