Blueberry-Ricotta-Orange Crêpe with Vanilla Blueberry Sauce

Ingredients	Amount
Blueberry ricotta filling
Ricotta	¾ cup
Mascarpone	¾ cup
Orange zest	1 Tbsp.
Orange juice	1 Tbsp.
Granulated sugar	1 Tbsp.
Salt	¼ tsp.
Nutmeg, freshly grated	¼ tsp.
Cardamom, ground	¼ tsp.
Egg whites, whipped to soft peak	2 ea.
Cream of tartar	¼ tsp.
Blueberries, fresh	1½ cups
Butter, melted for baking	3 Tbsp.
Walnuts, toasted and chopped	¼ cup
Mint sprigs	for garnish
Crêpes
All purpose flour	1 cup
Sugar	1 Tbsp.
Salt	½ tsp.
Eggs	3 ea.
Milk	1 cup
Vanilla	1 tsp.
Butter, melted	3 Tbsp.
Vanilla blueberry sauce
Sugar	½ cup
Blueberry juice	¼ cup
Corn syrup	1 Tbsp.
Cream	¼ cup
Butter, unsalted, cut into pieces	¼ cup
Vanilla	1 tsp.
Salt	¼ tsp.
Blueberries, fresh	1 cup
Lime juice	1 Tbsp.

Method

1. For the blueberry filling: In a medium-size bowl, combine the ricotta, mascarpone, orange zest, orange juice, sugar, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt, and stir to combine thoroughly.

2. For the crêpes: Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla to a blender and pulse to combine. Add the flour mixture and blend for 20 seconds to thoroughly incorporate. Chill for 30 minutes. The batter should be the consistency of thin pancake batter.

3. When ready to cook, heat a 6-inch crêpe pan over medium heat until hot. Spray with nonstick spray and pour about 1 ounce of the batter into the skillet (just enough to thinly coat the bottom of the pan). Rotate the pan to cover the bottom evenly with batter. Cook for 30 to 45 seconds to set the batter, gently flip the crêpe, and cook for 10 to 15 seconds to set the second side.

4. Remove the crêpe and place on a plate covered with a paper towel. Stack crêpes on top of each other until ready to use.

5. For the vanilla blueberry sauce: Stir the sugar, blueberry juice, and corn syrup in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and boil without stirring until the syrup is deep amber, the bubbles start to get larger, and the mixture thickens; remove from the heat and add the cream slowly; stir to incorporate. Stir in the butter, vanilla, salt, and then the fresh blueberries. This can be made ahead, then chilled and reheated before serving.

6. To finish the blueberry filling: Heat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Fold in one third of this into the ricotta base. Fold in the blueberries, then fold in the remaining two-thirds of the egg whites and stir to just combine. Chill until ready to fill the crêpes.

7. To fill the crêpes: Place one crêpe on a cookie sheet (half sheet pan) and spread the bottom half with ¼ cup blueberry ricotta filling. Fold the empty half over the top and continue with the rest of the crêpes and filling, placing next to each other in the baking dish, and brush with melted butter. Bake for 10 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

8. Remove from the oven, cut in half, and serve immediately with warm vanilla blueberry sauce.

9. Garnish with toasted walnuts, mint, and powdered sugar.

Yield: 12 crêpes