Meyer Lemon Ricotta Crepes With Candied Almonds Food

LEMON CREPES

Steps:

• Warm pre-made crepes in a skillet with a little butter. Sprinkle with sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice. Spread with lemon curd and fold into triangles. Dust with confectioners' sugar.
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SPICED CANDIED ALMONDS

Steps:

• In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat about 1-inch of oil to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add almonds and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain and transfer nuts to a medium bowl. While nuts are still hot and slightly wet, add 1 cup sugar and toss to coat nuts. Stir and toss until all the sugar has melted into the nuts; if bits of un-melted sugar remain on the nuts, they will not fry properly.
• Stir the nuts again before frying. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer a few nuts to the hot oil, allowing the foam to subside before adding another spoonful. (Otherwise, the oil could foam over and burn you.) Fry in small batches until the nuts are medium brown, about 45 seconds; be careful not to overcook. Scatter on an unlined baking sheet to cool slightly.
• In a small bowl, stir together cayenne, cinnamon, cocoa, remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, a pinch of salt, and pepper.
• While the nuts are still warm, transfer them to a bowl and sprinkle evenly with about half of the spice mix. Toss well to distribute the spices and then taste a nut. Add more spice mix, to taste, and toss well after each addition. When cool, pack in an airtight jar. They will keep at room temperature for at least 2 weeks.

MEYER LEMON RICOTTA CREPES WITH CANDIED ALMONDS

Steps:

• For the candied almonds: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds, sugar and a splash of water and stir to combine. Cook until the sugar has melted and the nuts begin to caramelize, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Spread the nuts out on the parchment and cool on a baking rack until the sugar hardens, about 15 minutes.
• For the ricotta: Stir together the ricotta, zest, sugar and cream in a bowl until light and fluffy.
• For the crepes: Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the milk, zest, butter and salt and whisk until combined. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Heat a 6- to-8-inch nonstick pan over medium heat; spray with nonstick cooking spray or brush with clarified butter. Ladle in a scant 1/4 cup of the crepe batter; swirl the pan and cook until the bottom sets and turns light golden brown, 30 to 45 seconds. Flip and continue cooking until the bottom is light golden brown, another 20 seconds or so. Transfer to a plate. Repeat and stack, keeping the cooked crepes warm in the oven.
• Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the ricotta on each crepe, roll up the crepes and serve with a sprinkling of candied almonds.

CANDIED ALMONDS

Steps:

• Spread out the almonds in an even layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Set aside.
• In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt together the butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, allspice and salt. Bring to a boil and cook, still boiling, for 1 minute, or until the mixture reaches 190 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Pour over the almonds and let cool completely while the sugar mixture sets. Serve immediately.

LEMON CREPES WITH ALMOND MASCARPONE

Steps:

• For the lemon crepes: Whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
• For the almond mascarpone filling: Combine the heavy cream, mascarpone, sugar and vanilla extract in a separate medium bowl. Using a handheld mixer, beat on medium until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Fold in the chopped almonds.
• Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of the butter and swirl the pan until the butter is melted and coats the pan (you can also use a pastry brush to brush softened butter into the pan). Add 1/4 cup of the batter and swirl the pan to coat the bottom with an even thin coating of batter. Cook for 2 minutes, gently flip the crepe and cook for another minute on the other side. Remove to a plate and continue with the remaining batter, adding more butter as needed.
• To serve, place 1 heaping tablespoon almond mascarpone filling on one quarter of a crepe. Gently fold the crepe in half and then in half again making sort of a triangle. Serve 2 per plate, sprinkle with blueberries and dust with more lemon zest and powdered sugar. Drizzle with chocolate, if desired.