Lemon Crepes with Whipped Ricotta

These lemon crepes would be perfect for special occasions such as Easter brunch, Mother’s Day brunch, a birthday breakfast, etc. 

For some reason I’ve come to associate lemons with the start of January. They’re tangy and fresh, kind of like the beginning of the year. You get a crisp, clean start.

I haven’t made any huge goals for this year yet. I’ll be giving birth in February, so I kind of feel like that will be a new start. One of my main goals will be to stay healthy for a quicker postpartum recovery. 

But I ramble.
 
About these crepes.
 
I love the bright flavor that the lemon brings to them. The whipped ricotta adds a rich element, and the graininess of the cheese adds an interesting texture.
 
I think these would be wonderful served at a brunch. They’re also a really amazing snack. Or dessert.

Okay, let’s make them!

Ingredients:

Here’s a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need:

For the crepe batter:

• 1/3 cup organic all-purpose flour: I like to use organic flour, but feel free to use what you have on hand!
• pinch of salt: I use unrefined sea salt, but table salt will also work here.
• 1 teaspoon organic lemon zest: I recommend using an organic lemon for the zest since you’ll be consuming the outer part of the fruit.
• 2 large eggs: I try to use pasture raised or organic eggs when possible, but again: use what you have!
• 1 large egg yolk: You’ll also use an extra yolk in the batter.
• 3/4 cup whole milk: I haven’t personally tried it, but I’m sure another type of milk would work in these crepes as well.
• 1 teaspoon butter: You’ll also add a bit of melted butter to the crepe batter. You can go ahead and melt it in a small saucepan and let it cool. I like to use grass-fed butter, but…you know the drill! Also, I use salted butter, but I’m sure you could use unsalted butter as well.

For the whipped ricotta topping:

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese: Please use whole milk ricotta cheese if you can find it!
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar: This is a lightly sweetened filling. If you prefer a sweeter filling, feel free to increase this amount!
• 3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice: This adds that lovely lemon tang to the filling! You’ll want to save the extra lemon juice for serving.
• zest of 1 organic lemon: To up the lemon flavor, add the zest of the lemon.
• 1/4 cup whipping cream or heavy cream: Here’s where the whipped part of the ricotta filling comes in!

Please note that there are no leavening agents in these crepes.

How to Make Lemon Crepes:

These crepes are surprisingly fairly easy to make, but they do require some practice to get the hang of cooking them!

Make sure to follow all the steps carefully, and you should be golden!

Mixing the Crepe Batter:

The very first thing you want to do is whip up the crepe batter. This is because it needs to rest for at least 30 minutes. 

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and lemon zest with a whisk (you could also use a handheld mixer). Then beat in the eggs + yolk until smooth. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking until well combined. Finally whisk the melted butter into the milk mixture.
2. Then you’ll need to cover and transfer batter to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, and up to 48 hours.

Quick tip: choose a mixing bowl with a lid to save on plastic wrap!

Making the whipped ricotta topping:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ricotta, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and zest until well combined.
2. In a separate medium bowl, whip the cream with an electric mixer until medium peaks form. Then gently fold into the other ingredients.
3. Refrigerate until the crepes are ready!

Frying the Crepes

Now it’s time to fry the crepes!

You may want to read over these steps a few times to familiarize yourself with the process.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F (95 C) (you’ll see why in a minute).

Take the batter out of the fridge and give it a quick whisk.

Heat an 8-inch cast iron skillet, crepe pan, or nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add a dab of butter.

Once it melts, pour in a small amount of the crepe batter into the center of the pan. A small ladle works well for this. You want an even, thin coating of batter in the pan. You’ll probably have to play around until find the perfect amount of batter per crepe.

Tilt the pan so the batter evenly covers the entire bottom of the pan.

Cook just until the crepe begins to turn golden brown, about 1-3 minutes. Use a metal offset spatula to loosen the edges of the crepe, then lift it, and use your hands to flip. Be careful to not burn yourself!

Cook until second side begins to get golden, about a minute.

Keep in mind that the first couple are NOT going to be perfect crepes. But you’ll get the hang of it!

Transfer crepe to an oven-safe plate or baking dish and place in the preheated oven, covering with parchment paper.

Repeat with remaining batter, stacking the crepes up on the plate.

Serving:

To serve, simply give each crepe a generous dusting of powdered sugar and a sprinkling of lemon juice.

Roll or fold crepe and serve with the whipped ricotta on top, or spread the whipped ricotta on each crepe before rolling.

Serve with an extra dusting of powdered sugar and some lemon zest. Garnish with lemon wedges if desired. 

Here are some more serving ideas:

• Add a dollop of lemon curd either inside or on top of the crepes (or both!).
• For an extra creamy filling, use cream cheese instead of ricotta to make Cream Cheese Whipped Cream.
• Make a blueberry sauce to make these into blueberry lemon crepes!
• To make these into dessert crepes, serve with vanilla or lemon ice cream.
• Instead of powdered sugar, make a lemon syrup to sweeten up the crepes.
• Serve with fresh berries such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc. 

Note: I really liked the whipped ricotta, and actually used it as a filling instead of a topping. If you plan on doing that, you should definitely double the whipped ricotta ingredients. 
 
Also, this recipe may seem long, but these crepes are actually quite easy to make – it just takes a lot of words to describe the process. 
 
What are your plans/goals for the new year? 

More Crepe Recipes/Posts:

• KETO Crepes
• Paleo Tortillas/Crepes (these are more like savory crepes)
• Grandma’s Cooking School: Chocolate Crepes

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