Cooking Done Light

Crepes are really much easier to make than you may think. If you have been discouraged from making them up until now, you should truly give it a try (your family will love you for it!) I have talked in the past about how much I love my “sweets”, so these crepes are one of my all time favorite breakfast treats – but many people actually have crepes as a dessert. Why not try them both ways and see which you like best. The very best part about these crepes is: not only are they a healthy low calorie version, but many of the steps can be prepared up to several days in advance, which makes it really convenient to whip up a batch just to have on hand. If you have kids, these are a great weekend breakfast treat to make – you can let each child pick their own toppings, and “decorate” their own individual crepes however they’d like. Oh… and if you plan on trying them for dessert – they are sinfully good with low fat ice cream and chocolate or caramel sauce!

For the Crepe Batter:

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup cold skim milk

1 whole egg

1 additional egg yolk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

cooking spray (as needed, for spraying pan)

Whisk all of the ingredients listed above together in a large mixing bowl until very smooth. Let the batter stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes (At this stage, you can also cover the batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight).

Spray a small frying pan or skillet with non-stick spray and place it over medium-high heat. Pour about 3 tablespoons batter (a 1/4 cup is 4 tablespoons, so if you are using a measuring cup, it would be a very scant 1/4 cup) in the pan and quickly tilt the pan around so that the batter covers the whole bottom in a thin layer. Cook only until the batter is “set” and then flip and cook on the other side (it only takes about 1 – 2 minutes per side). Repeat this process with the remaining batter, re-spraying the pan as needed (you should end up with 8 crepes). At this point, you can fill and serve the crepes immediately – or you can let them cool, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 12 hours).

For the Filling:

2 cups fresh raspberries

2 cups fresh mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, currants, rhubarb, blackberries, etc.)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup fruit juice (apple, orange, prune, grape – whatever you have on hand)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Stir the tablespoon cornstarch into the fruit juice and set aside.

Combine the 2 cups raspberries and the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in the fruit juice and cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly until mixture thickens slightly. Stir in the lemon juice. If you prefer, you can strain this mixture to remove the raspberry seeds. At this point, if not using the mixture right away – let it cool and then cover it and stick it in the fridge to use for up to 5 days.

If using immediately -

Add the 2 cups of mixed fruit to the pan, return to a simmer for 1 minute and then remove from the heat. If needed, stick the crepes in the microwave for about 30 seconds to warm them up.

Divide the filling between the 8 crepes, spooning it down the center and then rolling or folding the crepes around the filling. Top with your favorite toppings (I like low-fat whipped topping and fresh fruit!) and serve while still warm.

Makes 4 servings (2 filled crepes per person). Per serving: 177 calories, 4 g total fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 24 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 8 g added sugar, 6 g protein, 86 mg sodium, 54 mg cholesterol.