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Vanilla Poached Summer Fruit Filled Crepes | DonalSkehan.com
  • desserts-baking

Vanilla Poached Summer Fruit Filled Crepes

September 19

Our two children don’t have much time for the American style fluffy ones and so thin style crepes are a staple of summer weekends. Rolled with jam and cream, Swedish style or for something even more special try serving them with poached stone fruits and a mascarpone cream. The recipe for the fruit is flexible and is something I like to keep on hand in the fridge for breakfasts or with vanilla ice cream for a simple dessert. Peaches, apricots, cherries, strawberries, rhubarb are all wonderful to cook with a little sugar and poaching liquids. Experiment by adding garden herbs like lemon verbena or thyme or the peel of lemon or orange and a vanilla pod for truly memorable results. 

  • serves Serves 6
  • time 90mins

Method

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200 ° fan/425°F/Gas Mark 7.
  2. 2. Remove the seeds from the vanilla pod and place in a small bowl, reserving for later on in the recipe. Place the pod, along with the rest of the ingredients for the fruit compote, into a large bowl and mix together to combine.
  3. 3. When the oven is hot, transfer the fruit compote mixture, along with any juices, to a roasting tray and bake in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes, or until tender and syrupy.
  4. 4. Leave the compote to cool slightly, remove the lemon peel, cardamom pods and vanilla pod and then roughly slice the fruit and place into a bowl, with the juices, until needed.
  5. 5. For the pancakes, sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl and using a spoon, make a well in the centre. Break the eggs into the well and using a whisk slowly incorporate them into the flour. Don’t worry too much about lumps as they should disappear when you add the rest of the liquid. Gradually add the milk and water until you have a light batter.
  6. 6. Leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  7. 7. For the mascarpone cream, mix together the reserved vanilla seeds, mascarpone, double cream and icing sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until it holds soft peaks then transfer to a bowl and place into the fridge until needed.
  8. 8. To cook the pancakes, heat a tablespoon of the butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, and add 2 tablespoons of melted butter to the batter, stirring through to combine. Add a ladleful of the batter to the hot pan and move from side to side until it evenly covers the surface of the pan. Reduce the heat and cook for about a minute each side or until the batter begins to take a nice golden colour.
  9. 9. To serve, spread the pancakes with a little of the mascarpone cream then add the stone fruit compote to half of the pancake. Fold in half and then into quarters and serve straight away drizzled with the syrupy juices from the fruit and sprinkled with the chopped pistachios.

Ingredients

For the fruit compote:

1 vanilla pod

4 peaches, stoned and halved

4 nectarines, stoned and halved

6 apricots, stoned and halved

1 lemon, peel and juice

4 cardamom pods, crushed lightly with the back of a knife

3.5oz caster sugar

 

For the pancake batter:

5.5oz plain flour

3 large free-range eggs

10fl oz of milk

3.7fl oz of water

3 tbsp of butter, melted

 

For the mascarpone cream:

8.8oz mascarpone

6.5fl oz double cream

2 tbsp icing sugar

Handful of pistachios, chopped, to serve

For the fruit compote:

1 vanilla pod

4 peaches, stoned and halved

4 nectarines, stoned and halved

6 apricots, stoned and halved

1 lemon, peel and juice

4 cardamom pods, crushed lightly with the back of a knife

100g caster sugar

 

For the pancake batter:

160g plain flour

3 large free-range eggs

300ml of milk

110ml of water

3 tbsp of butter, melted

 

For the mascarpone cream:

250g mascarpone

200ml double cream

2 tbsp icing sugar

Handful of pistachios, chopped, to serve