Crepes are the world-class cousin of the basic breakfast pancake; drench them in warm boozy caramel sauce and hearty, flame-kissed seasonal fruit, and suddenly you have an elegant (and dramatic!), easy-to-customize dessert that will be the epic finale to any fancy meal or romantic dinner.
Dessert Crepes with Flaming Fruit
(Makes 4 generous servings, at 2 crepes & fruit each)
What You’ll Need :
Vegan Crepes
- 1 3/4 cups plain soy, oat, or almond milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- ¼ tsp. salt
- Non-stick cooking spray or softened vegan butter for cooking
Flaming Fruit Topping
- 2 ripe, firm large bananas (peeled and sliced lengthwise), or 2 large ripe pears or apples (peeled, cored, and sliced into ½”-thick pieces), or 8 fresh figs, sliced in quarters
- 2 Tbsp. vegan butter
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Big pinch ground cinnamon and nutmeg, or grated lemon or orange zest
- Pinch salt
- 2 Tbsp. rum, cognac, or brandy
- Softened vegan butter or non-stick cooking spray
Step 1: With a blender, pulse together soy/oat/almond milk, flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt into a smooth batter. Pour into a container, cover, and chill for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
Step 2: When ready to make crepes, whisk batter a few times and heat a 10-inch non-stick skillet or seasoned crepe pan over medium heat; it’s ready when a few drops of flicked water sizzle.
Step 3: Spray thoroughly with non-stick cooking spray or brush with melted vegan butter. Ladle 1/3 cup batter onto center of pan. Immediately tilt pan in a circular motion to spread the batter. Cook until top is dry and firm, about 2–3 minutes.
Step 4: Carefully run a thin spatula under the edges, then gently lift and flip. Cook for 20 more seconds. Slide crepe onto a dinner plate. Grease the pan a little and continue cooking and stacking crepes.
Step 5: To serve, fold into quarters, and arrange two on serving plates.
Step 6: Just before serving, make the flaming fruit topping. In a dry 10-inch stainless steel skillet over medium-low heat, melt together butter and brown sugar. Simmer for 2 minutes until bubbling then add lemon juice, spices or zest, and salt.
Step 7: Add fruit and simmer another 1–2 minutes or until edges are lightly caramelized.
Step 8: Now comes the drama! Remove pan from stove and pour the spirit in one area of the pan’s edge. Return to the stove, stand back (keep your face clear of the pan!), tip edge of the pan to kiss the open flame to ignite the booze. Confidently (and still standing clear) shake the pan until the alcohol burns off and a nice caramel sauce is swirling around the fruit. Alternatively, you can ignite the alcohol by using a stick lighter.
Step 9: Remove pan from stove, spoon fruit and sauce over crepes, and garnish with a scoop of ice cream and flourish of chopped toasted nuts. Take a bow and serve immediately!
By Terry Hope Romero
Photographed by Emily Hawkes
This article originally appeared in the Winter 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe now!
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