We’ve been cooking up a storm lately!

Inspired by one of the challenges from last season’s Hell’s Kitchen, I made a savory & sweet crepe for Saturday brunch. This was a bit of work since the two batters are a bit different. We ended up doing brunch in two stages, with some idle time while I made the sweet crepes. It made for a leisurely, decadent brunch.

We started with a take on bacon and eggs.

1. Fry bacon, taking it out of the pan and setting it aside. Later, when it cools, crumble it.
2. Scramble eggs in the still hot bacon grease, along with some finely chopped onions and sweet peppers.
3. Once that’s done, take it off the heat and stir in a dollop of creme fraiche, some grated aged gouda, and the crumbled bacon. Season as desired.
4. Use this mixture to fill a couple of fresh savory crepes.

Next up was a sweet berry crepe. There were some fresh, local strawberries and blueberries in our produce delivery last week. That’s always great with a sweet crepe.

1. Make sweet crepes. Let them cool before using.
2. Melt a bit of butter in a saucier. Add sliced fresh strawberries and whole blueberries, reserving a few of each for garnish. Simmer until they are sofftened. Add a touch of vanilla extract (I used homemade extract made with a nice brandy) and some Grand Marnier. Simmer briefly, the stir in a few tablespoons of heavy cream or creme fraiche.
3. Get the cooled crepes. Fill each with mascarpone (I usually pipe in the filling). Spoon the hot berry sauce over top the crepes. Top with a large dollop of creme fraiche and the reserved berries.