After weeks of anticipation, having the up close experience of seeing Door County (WI) cherry trees in full bloom for the first time did not disappoint. Walking through the cherry orchards was mesmerizing. The seemingly endless seas of white blossoms were beyond captivating, regardless if they were set against blue, silvery, or dusk skies. In my whirlwind thirty-six hour trip, the beauty of the cherry orchards was almost too much to take in. If there is such a thing as being on cherry blossom overload, I came perilously close to experiencing it. Taking a few short hikes in places where spring wildflowers covered the forest floor, chartreuse leaves emerged from branches, and sunlight filtered through the trees, along with stops at a couple of antique shops, were my antidotes. My quest to see cherry trees in full bloom took me to places and down two lane country roads in Door County I had never been before. Unexpected added bonuses for this trip. At the end of this post are just a few of my cherry orchard photos (I am still sifting through all of them). Hopefully, they are enough to give you a taste of 'cherry blossom' flavor. However, if you ever have the chance or desire to experience a cherry orchard in full bloom first-hand (aka cherry blossom heaven), take it. Photos don't do the delicacy of the blossoms or the elegance of the orchards complete justice.
I can only imagine the insanity of what seeing all of those trees dripping with ripe, red cherries feels like. Guess that means I need to go back in a few months. Coming home with freshly picked cherries might be the best bonus of all.
Strawberries, cherries, blueberries. What is not to love about the summer berry season? It makes me giddy to just think about all of the berry deliciousness coming in the months ahead. These Crepes with Honey Whipped Cream Cheese & Blueberry Sauce would be a great way to kick it all off!
If for any reason you don't like or don't want to make crepes, make the Blueberry Sauce. Swirl it in your yogurt, top your panna cotta with it, spoon it over your pancakes, drizzle it over ice cream, or eat it off a spoon. While the recipes for Crepes and the Honey Whipped Cream are the stars of this blog post, the blueberry sauce is the icing on the cake recipe bonus.
Seriously though, making crepes is easy. And crepe pans are relatively inexpensive. Once you start making crepes, it's hard to stop making these incredibly versatile 'pancakes'. Filled or unfilled, sweet or savory, crepes are not just a breakfast food. They make for really good peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or should I say crepewiches?
When it comes to making crepes, there is no one way or one set of ingredient ratios. Some advocate using a blender to make the batter, others recommend whisking the ingredients in a bowl. I am currently in the bowl camp. Some recipes will tell you to let your batter rest (anywhere from several hours to overnight), while others will tell you the batter is ready to use immediately. At the moment, I am in the let it rest overnight camp. Although if you twist my arm, I will join in the let it rest (in the refrigerator) for a couple of hours. A side advantage of giving it the overnight rest is that you are ready to make crepes first thing in the morning (after the first cup of coffee of course).
Room temperature eggs, melted but slightly cooled butter, and slightly warmed milk will help ensure your batter is smooth and you won't have little clumps of butter permeating it.
A well-seasoned crepe pan make it unnecessary to cook the crepes in butter. This recipe makes a dozen eight inch crepes.
Making the Honey Whipped Cream Cheese and Blueberry Sauce ahead of time makes the assembly of the crepes easy. Having said that, if your crepes get too 'cool' before you get ready to serve them, I have a couple of suggestions. After spreading a couple of tablespoons of the honey whipped cream cheese on them, place them on a platter you can put in the microwave. You can reheat your filled crepes in the microwave for as long as it takes to reheat them (about a minute or two). The added bonus to the microwave reheat method is the filling gets a little warm and tastes even more delicious (if that is even possible). Note: Alternately you can place your crepes (unfilled) on a baking sheet in an oven set to a low temperature to keep them warm.
Spoon the warmed blueberry sauce over the crepes just before serving them. A light dusting of confectionary sugar is optional, but adds to the wow factor of the presentation. Serve the extra blueberry sauce and honey whipped cream on the side. Some of your family and friends will appreciate it!
Bring a platter of Crepes with Honey Whipped Cream Cheese & Blueberry Sauce and your breakfast game will never be the same. Light, delicate crepes, filled with a slightly decadent, creamy honey whipped cream cheese filling, and topped with a luscious homemade blueberry sauce are almost impossible to resist. You don't have to wait for a special occasion or special guests to make this dish. This could be your signature weekend breakfast or brunch dish. One making regular appearances on your table!
Crepes with Honey Whipped Cream Cheese & Blueberry Sauce
Makes 12 crepes. Serves 4-8 depending on hunger levels
Ingredients
Blueberry Sauce
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup water
2 - 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cornstarch
pinch of kosher salt
Honey Whipped Cream Cheese
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 ounces heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
Crepes
1 3/4 cups whole milk, room temperature (use the microwave or stovetop to just take the chill of the milk off)
3 large eggs, room temperature
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter (70 g), melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup (140 g) all-purpose flour
Optional: Confectionary sugar for dusting and 1 cup of fresh blueberries
Blueberry Sauce
1. In a medium sized saucepan, bring the blueberries, sugar, lemon zest and 1/4 cup of water to a boil over medium high heat.
2. Reduce the heat to low-medium, and continue cooking until the blueberries begin to burst (approximately 3-5 minutes).
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and cornstarch. Stir into the blueberry sauce.
4. Continue cooking for approximately 1 minute or until the sauce has started to thicken.
5. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and salt. If not serving immediately, allow to cool to room temperature, cover and store in the refrigerator. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
Note: Reheat sauce before serving.
Honey Whipped Cream Cheese
1. In a medium sized bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.
2. Beat in honey and vanilla.
3. Beat in whipping cream in three additions. Beat until thick and fluffy.
4. Store in the refrigerator while making the crepes. Note: Can be made several hours ahead.
Crepes and Assembly
1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk eggs lightly. Pour in milk and cooled melted butter. Whisk to combine and set aside.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. Create a well in the center and add in egg/milk/butter mixture. Whisk until smooth.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to overnight.
4. Heat crepe pan over medium-high heat.
5. Pour 1/3 cup of the batter in the pan, quickly tilting the batter to spread an even layer in the pan. Cook for one to two minutes or until the bottom is lightly browned (when edge is lifted).
6. When crepe is browned, flip and cook another minute (or slightly less) until the other side is lightly browned.
7. Remove from pan. Continue making crepes until all of the batter is used. Stack cooked crepes on top of another.
8. Spread two tablespoons of the Honey Whipped Cream Cheese on one half of the crepe. Fold in half, then fold in half again. Place on platter. Continuing filling crepes overlapping crepes on the plater.
9. Reheat the blueberry sauce while filling the crepes.
10. Lightly dust with confectionary sugar. Pour some of the blueberry sauce over the crepes. Sprinkle fresh blueberries on the platter. Serve with sides of additional Blueberry Sauce and Honey Whipped Cream Cheese. (See Notes)
Notes: (1) Keep the crepes warm in a low temperature oven until you have made all of them. Alternately, place the filled crepes on a microwave proof platter and reheat until warm. Then top with the blueberry sauce. (2) If you have any leftover filled crepes, they reheat up in the microwave beautifully. (3) Making the batter and blueberry sauce the night before makes this dish easy to come together in the morning.
Cherry Blossom Orchards, Door County, Wisconsin (May 2019)
