Warm Crepes With Hazelnut Brown Butter Food

WARM CRêPES WITH LEMON ZEST AND HAZELNUT BROWN BUTTER

Steps:

• Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, 2 tablespoons melted butter, lemon zest, and Frangelico together in a medium bowl.
• Sift the flour and sugar into a large bowl, and stir in the salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Slowly pour the liquid into the well, whisking all the time at the center. Once the batter starts to incorporate, slowly bring in more dry ingredients, working from the center out.
• Cover the bowl, and let the batter rest in the refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Heat two black iron crêpe pans or 6-inch nonstick pans over medium heat. Swirl about 1/2 teaspoon butter in each pan, and when it foams, swirl in 2 tablespoons crêpe batter, moving the pan to coat the bottom with a thin layer of batter. Cook the crêpe 30 seconds or so, until the edges are golden brown. Flip the crêpe over and cook another 30 seconds on the second side. The crêpes should be thin and lacy.
• Remove the crêpes from the pans onto a warm plate. Stack the crêpes as you go, keeping them covered with a towel. Repeat until you have twelve crêpes.
• Lightly butter a baking sheet. Place the crêpes on a work surface with the pretty, brown lacy sides down. Spoon 1 tablespoon hazelnut cream onto the lower-right quadrant of each crêpe. Fold the crêpes loosely in half over the hazelnut cream, and then fold them again, loosely into quarters (with the unfilled quarter on top). Top each crêpe with a teaspoon of hazelnut cream, and place them all on the buttered baking sheet.
• Bake the crêpes in the oven 6 to 8 minutes, until they start to crisp around the edges.
• Arrange the crêpes on a large warm platter, and spoon the hazelnut-brown butter sauce over them.
• Place the hazelnuts, sugar, and salt in a food processor, and pulse until finely ground. Add the flour, butter, egg, egg yolk, and Frangelico. Pulse until completely combined.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet, and toast 8 to 10 minutes, until they're golden brown and smell nutty. When the nuts have cooled, chop them coarsely.
• Dissolve the sugar in the Frangelico in a small bowl.
• Cook the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat about 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the butter browns and smells nutty. Once the butter has browned, remove the pan from the heat and wait a minute or two. Add the nuts, salt, and the Frangelico mixture, making sure to scrape all the Frangelico and sugar into the pan. (Be careful, the butter might foam up a little, and it's very hot.)
• Two things about your crêpe pan are extremely important: temperature and "seasoning." The pan needs to be hot enough that the batter starts cooking immediately but not so hot that the crêpes burn. A thin film of butter will season the pan so the crêpes cook evenly and don't stick. Often one or two practice crêpes are needed; the fat in the batter will create the seasoning while letting you see if the pan's temperature needs adjustment.
• You can make the crêpe batter and the hazelnut cream a day ahead. (You must make the batter at least 2 hours ahead.) Fill the crêpes an hour or so ahead, and then pop them in the oven just before serving.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SPREAD WITH CREPES

Steps:

• In a food processor, grind the hazelnuts into a paste. Add the oil, sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla and continue processing. Add the melted chocolate and blend well. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer to remove any large grains of nuts. The mixture will be thin and a little warm. Pour into a jar to let cool and thicken slightly. Keeps 1 month, covered, at room temperature.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Whisk in the salt, granulated sugar, and flour. Set aside for 30 minutes, if you have got the time. In a nonstick 8 to 10-inch omelet pan, melt about 1/2 teaspoon butter over medium heat. When it foams, pour or ladle in about 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) batter. Lift and swirl the pan so the batter coats the bottom. Replace the pan on the burner and cook just until set and the underside is lightly browned. Using a spatula or your fingers, flip the crepe, and cook until the other side is lightly browned. Transfer to a platter. Repeat until the batter is used up.
• One by one, spread each crepe with a thin layer of the chocolate hazelnut spread, then some banana slices, and roll up like a cigar or fold into quarters. Place 2 crepes on each of 4 serving plates. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve.
• Notes about the recipe: While in Italy we discovered Nutella, a chocolate hazelnut spread that comes in a jar like peanut butter. We can't get enough of it but also have trouble finding it. So I figured out how to make my own! This recipe makes more hazelnut spread than you need but it keeps and is great to spread on toast, inside croissants or on brioche. I've even caught family members just spreading it on a banana as they peel it down, one schmear per bite.

HAZELNUT BROWN BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet, and toast 8 to 10 minutes, until they're golden brown and smell nutty. When the nuts have cooled, chop them coarsely.
• Dissolve the sugar in the Frangelico in a small bowl.
• Cook the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat about 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the butter browns and smells nutty. Once the butter has browned, remove the pan from the heat and wait a minute or two. Add the nuts, salt, and the Frangelico mixture, making sure to scrape all the Frangelico and sugar into the pan. (Be careful, the butter might foam up a little, and it's very hot.)

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT BANANA CREPES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, egg whites, water, milk and oil. Combine the flour, sugar and salt; add to egg mixture and mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour., Heat a lightly greased 8-in. nonstick skillet over medium heat; pour 1/4 cup batter into center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet as needed. When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between., In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir in brown sugar until blended. Add bananas; cook for 2-3 minutes or until bananas are glazed and slightly softened, stirring gently. Remove from the heat., Spread Nutella over each crepe; top with bananas. Roll up and serve.