Crepes with Pears, Walnuts, and Feta Cheese

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Every time I reach for a cake pan or a tart pan in my lower kitchen cabinet, this little black crepe pan falls down, and I stick it back in a place it doesn’t seem to fit. This has been going on for years. I have considered getting rid of it, but then I would have this nagging thought, “what if I want to make crepes someday?” Just because I haven’t made crepes since Reagan was president doesn’t mean I’m not going to make them again. I don’t even remember how to make them. So, nearly every day, the little black crepe pan falls and I put it back, and I get closer to making crepes or throwing out the pan.

If you are anything like me, you’ll understand that when you start thinking about a certain food and what it would be like to cook that food, you have to do it. There is no way out. You might not be exactly sure when, but then one day, you find yourself staring at a pile of opened cookbooks, getting ideas, instructions and ingredients.

This time, it was three french cookbooks, and I decided on Le Cordon Bleu at Home, because I liked how the recipe sounded. Reading a recipe is a process all unto self, once you have read or skimmed hundreds. You just “know” it’s the right one.

So like the little engine that could, the little crepe pan came out of hiding and instead of being a daily annoyance, with no real place in the cabinet, it went to work, making the best crepes I ever ate, or I should say DC ever ate. I ate one; he ate all the rest.

We’re both creative types, in different ways, and very compatible in life, love and FOOD. He doesn’t cook very much, but he knew there was cardamom in the recipe and commented on it. I like a man who knows about cardamom.

The Process
While the recipe was being selected, my eyes went straight to the 5 very ripe organic pears that I purchased at a bulk discount, with good intentions but forgot about. A saute of sliced pears with brown sugar, some cardamom, toasted walnuts and then just a touch of really good feta cheese packed in brine to offset the sweetness of the pears and I had a filling ready for crepes.

To my surprise, the little black crepe pan, knew exactly what to do. Just a touch of butter for the first crepe and no further seasoning was necessary. The first crepe was not good at all, too thick and rubbery. The second crepe had holes in it because I didn’t put in enough batter. By crepe number three, I found the “crepe zone.” I put in a scant 1/4 cup batter in pan, gave it a swirl, and if I had too much, simply poured it back into the batter.

We decided we will be eating a lot more crepes and the little black crepe pan is here to stay. In fact, the next day, that little black crepe pan came back out and made the most delicious crepes suzette that I will tell you about soon.

Recipe

Crepes (makes six, adapted from Le Cordon Bleu at Home)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk (I used organic skim milk)
  • 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Sift dry ingredients in bowl. Break eggs and add milk and whisk into flour until smooth.
  2. Whisk in butter and then whisk in remaining milk. Let stand for at least 30 minutes. Some recipes recommend at least an hour in the refrigerator. Batter should be very thin, and you may need to add more cold milk.
  3. Place butter in small crepe pan, careful not to over butter. After my first crepe, I didn’t need to butter pan for remaining crepes, as my pan is well-seasoned.
  4. Pour in a scant 1/4 cup batter, swirl pan, to completely cover. If there is excess batter, pour back into batter. Crepes let you know when it’s time to turn. The edges get browned and they slide over easily.

You can make all the crepes ahead of time, using parchment paper between each crepe, if you are going to freeze them.

Pear Filling Recipe

Ingredients

  • 6 pears
  • 1 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoons cardamom
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar (more or less, depending upon sweetness of the pears)
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, divided

Instructions

  1. Peel and cut 6 pears into slices. Heat butter in pan, add pears, cardamom. Add brown sugar. Sauté until pears are softened, but not mushy. Add 1/4 cup walnuts.
  2. Roll up crepes, stuff with pear mixture. Top with 1 teaspoon pear mixture, remaining walnuts and feta.


Notes:
There are many variations you could try. Apples instead of pears, blue cheese instead of feta. To make savory crepes, skip the sugar and vanilla, reduce flour by 1/4 cup.

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4 Comments

  1. Ohhh yum, after reading this post last night (I know I’m very late lol), I had to get my own crepe pan out…I had some Braeburn apples and some extra creamy mature stilton cheese…I added a bit of truffle honey and some roughly chopped, toasted pine nuts (there was only a handful left over from the night before’s dinner) and oh my goodness gracious, did we have a wonderful and easy dinner that took only minutes to prepare but which made us feel totally indulgent!! If I can ever find any MacIntosh apples over here in Scotland (I grew up in Vermont on Mac’s and Vermont Mature Cheddar, a combo that’s still difficult to beat imho), then Mac’s would be the ideal match, crisp clean and slightly sharp but still a bit sweet, mixed with the tangy, salty, creaminess of the blue mature stilton, along with the earthy sweetness from the truffle honey and the crunch of the pine nuts wrapped in that wonderful crisp, soft blanket of pancake…pure and utter indulgent delight!! The fact that it didn’t take long at all was a huge bonus as we are in the process of renovating and redecorating our house (what were we thinking doing that in the run up to Christmas??!!??) and with everything residing in boxes, in different areas, etc, having something so painless but so delicious and luxurious has helped to get us a little more in the holiday spirit! Thanks so much for the inspiration!! We will be trying other combos too but I know this is one we’ll come back to again and again, especially this time of year. Happy Holidays to you and your family! <3

    1. I love your comment. I just happen to have truffle honey and I feel I must try your recipe with the apples, cheese and pine nuts. Maybe I’ll even do another post. Now I have to thank YOU for your inspiration.

  2. Pingback: 2 Secrets to Making Crepes ~ SRC Reveal: Coconut Crepes with Strawberries & Kiwi - The Saturday Evening Pot

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