Strawberry Fields

Strawberry crepes, strawberry drink, and of course, strawberry toast!

Last week, actually two weeks ago, I wrote that I know spring has arrived when rhubarb is available for its short season. This week I am flush with the first strawberries that actually taste good. Strawberries have been available for a few weeks. They started appearing around the same time as the rhubarb. The strawberries looked bright and red and juicy, but they were not as flavorful as they appeared. What a difference two weeks makes.

Strawberries are back, baby!

And now that they’re here, I can’t stop thinking about what do with them.

My mind started racing. All I had to do was figure out where to start. Strawberry ice cream first came to mind but since I don’t have an ice cream maker it went to the bottom of the list. Strawberry pie? I’m definitely a pie person, (and a cake person for that matter), but strawberry pie doesn’t seem like the best use of strawberries at the beginning of their season. Below is a partial list of some of the things I thought of to do with strawberries. I have yet to make the biscuits, or the strawberry schmear, or the Dutch Baby, but I made everything else on the list below.

Morning toast with goat cheese, strawberries and balsamic glaze

Morning toast with goat cheese, sliced strawberries, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Strawberry Dutch Baby

Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread/Schmear

Strawberry Crepes/Crepe Batter

Biscuits with Strawberries and whipped yogurt

Strawberry Basil Red Drink

The other day, as I was listening to The Splendid Table, Deborah Madison, vegetarian cooking expert and founding chef of Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, was one of the guests. Callers were able to ask her questions about vegetarian cookery. My ears perked up when a caller asked for vegetarian breakfast ideas that weren’t smoothies or avocado toast. The caller said she wakes up with the metabolism of a hummingbird and remains hungry throughout the morning.

That is EXACLTLY how I feel pretty much every day.

For that reason, I decided to make crepes instead of a Dutch Baby. It just seemed like I could amp up the protein by making crepes much more easily than if I made a Dutch Baby. A Dutch Baby is a cross between a pancake and a souffle which is baked in a skillet in the oven until it poofs up. Like the caller, avocado toast, even with an egg on top, is usually not filling enough for me. I am someone who eats breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen, and dinner like a pauper.

I figured out that if I made a slightly sweet cheese filling that combines goat cheese and cream cheese and whipped some high protein Greek yogurt to dollop on top–and bottom–of the crepes, it might just be more satiating than a Dutch Baby.

Turns out, I was right!

Don’t worry. Crepes aren’t as fancy as they sound. The recipe is foolproof because it comes directly from the talented folks at Serious Eats. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, the website’s Managing Culinary Director, says, making crepes or “skinny pancakes” as he likes to call them is way easier than making pancakes:

“Skinny pancakes use fewer ingredients (and zero ingredients, like buttermilk, that you may not already have on hand). They require fewer bowls and tools to dirty and wash, and they’re much faster to make. It’s easier to adapt them to either sweet or savory fillings–making them ideal for breakfast or dinner– and, best of all, you can make crepes ahead of time, even by a few days, without losing quality.”

I made this recipe as written with one substitution; I used almond milk instead of whole milk since I didn’t have whole milk in the house. We ate about half the crepes on day one and used the remaining crepes the next morning for breakfast. The hardest part about making crepes is manipulating the pan so that the crepes are thin enough. I haven’t made crepes in a while so I’m out of practice as evidenced by the first few I made.

Third time was the charm.

But like most things, practice is key. By the third try, I had a better result. Those tell-tale bubbles on the surface of the crepe are just what I wanted to see. When you see those tiny bubbles that means it’s time to flip the crepe. They cook quickly, about 30 seconds per side. Another tip is to cook at a medium high heat. For me that meant setting the burner to number 7 on my induction cooktop. And if you don’t have a dedicated crepe pan, a non-stick,10 inch skillet will do the job quite well. The recipe calls for the batter to be made in a blender which means you could whip up a batch of crepe batter in minutes. Again, if you don’t have a blender you can use a whisk and a bit of elbow grease to mix the batter as the recipe states below.

crepe cooking, filled crepe before rolling, finished crepe with whipped Greek yogurt

CREPE BATTER:

2 large eggs

1 ¼ cups/280 ml whole milk

1 cup/140g all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon/15 ml melted butter or vegetable oil, plus more for cooking

Pinch kosher salt (I use Diamond)

1 tablespoon/8g sugar, if making sweet crepes

*1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs such as parsley, tarragon, chervil, or chives. This is optional if making savory crepes

For the Batter-Combine eggs, milk, flour, melted butter or oil, salt and sugar (if using) in a blender. Start blender on low speed and increase to high. Blend until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add herbs (if making savory crepes) and pulse to combine. If you don’t have a blender you can combine ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk vigorously until smooth.

To Cook: Heat a 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Lightly grease with oil or butter, suing a paper towel to wipe out the excess.

Hold the pan’s handle in one hand and pour in 3-4 tablespoons (45-60ml) of batter, swirling and tilting pan immediately to spread batter in a thin, even layer over bottom of pan.

Let cook until top looks dry, about 20 seconds. Using a thin metal or nylon spatula, lift one edge of crepe. Grab that edge with the fingers of both hands and flop crepe. Cook on second side for about 10 seconds, then transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter, separating the crepes with pieces of waxed paper or parchment paper. Fill crepes as desired.

OR…

Store the cooked, unfilled crepes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just wrap the stacked up crepes with plastic wrap. Re-heat in a warmed up, non-stick for about 10 seconds before filling.

Sweet Cheese Crepe Filling:

2 oz/58g soft goat cheese–I used Chenel brand that comes in a container

4 oz/113g cream cheese

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest and juice from ½ orange

Place goat cheese, cream cheese, and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Beat with handheld mixer on high speed until fully combined. Add vanilla extract and orange zest and juice. Stir in with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.

For the Strawberries:

Rinse and hull 1 pound/453g fresh strawberries. Slice the strawberries into a bowl.

Whipped Yogurt:

This couldn’t be easier, especially if you have a handheld mixer. If you don’t, use a sturdy whisk and your ever present supply of elbow grease.

Whip 1 cup of protein packed Greek yogurt until it becomes a little bit frothy and light. If using an electric mixer this takes about 3 minutes. If you’re using a whisk it will take about 5 minutes. Sweeten the yogurt with a heaping teaspoon of confectioner’s sugar, and a dash of vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Dollop on top of your crepes.

Crepe Assembly:

To assemble crepes spread about 2 tablespoons of sweet cheese filling onto one half of each crepe. Then place enough strawberry slices to mostly cover the cheese filing. Roll crepe to enclose the filling.

Top with whipped sweetened Greek yogurt and more sliced strawberries.

Break out your fork and spoon and dig in!!

I also made a simple syrup drink base with a pound of strawberries and some fresh basil leaves; a match made in strawberry heaven. Later this week it’s supposed to reach 90 degrees, the warmest temperatures so far this year. Having a pitcher of strawberry simple syrup in the refrigerator to turn into strawberry coolers to sip not only makes me happy but makes it feel like another season is upon us.

Strawberry syrup in pitcher, then mixed with sparkling water for sipping!

Strawberry Basil Simple Syrup

As always, feel free to adjust the flavorings here to your liking. Increase, or decrease, the amount of basil and lime to suit your taste.

4 cups/1liter, water

2 cups/200g, granulated sugar

1 large bunch, 2 ounces/50g, fresh basil leaves, rinsed and stems removed

Zest and juice of 1 or 2 limes depending on size

1 pound/454g, strawberries rinsed and sliced

2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

In a medium sized saucepot place water and sugar. Heat over high heat until the water boils. Stir a few times until you are sure the sugar has dissolved completely. Turn off heat, remove pot from stove. Let the mixture cool for about twenty minutes.

While the syrup cools, slice the strawberries into a bowl. Add the 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar plus the lime zest and juice. Give the mixture a stir. Set aside.

Add basil leaves to pot and stir a few times. Allow the basil leaves to steep for about thirty minutes.

Remove the basil leaves with a slotted spoon and discard.

Add sliced strawberries to the syrup. Stir a few times and let the syrup continue to cool to room temperature.

Once the syrup is completely cooled, transfer to containers or a large pitcher and refrigerate.

You can use this syrup as the base for cool, summery drinks. Add some to peach flavored iced tea, lemonade or simply mix some into your favorite mineral or sparkling water. It would probably also be a great start to a Daquiri, Margarita, or Mojito.