Crêpes are an art. I’ve tried to master it over the years and I’d like to think that I’ve gotten better, but they take practice and patience. I’m good at practicing but I’m terrible at being patient.

Still, the crêpes I made last weekend are a testimony to my hard work. They turned out better than I expected. I think they would have been almost perfect if I had the tools (an actual crêpe pan and one of those little wooden mallets that you use to swirl the batter). But for what they were, they were great.

A trick to getting your crêpes to turn out well is refrigerating the batter for a while before you make them. This can be really frustrating, especially if you’re hungry and impatient. But trust me when I say, it’s worth it. Even if you just stick the batter in the fridge for a half hour before cooking the crêpes, it will improve the outcome. It makes the batter less bubbly and will help the crêpes stick together while they cook.

You can fill your crêpes with whatever you want but I’d recommend adding this citrus honey ricotta filling. It’s fluffy, light, and slightly tangy. The ricotta-filled crêpes actually remind me of blintzes, or a Jewish dish that I used to eat all the time growing up. It’s the same concept except you usually serve them with some fruit or jam on top.

Another tip for making good crêpes is confidence. This can be difficult to muster, especially if you’re making them for the first time. But the more you just get in there and swirl the batter quickly and masterfully in the skillet, the better your crêpes will turn out. I’m still getting the hang of this so don’t worry if it takes a while.

In other news, it’s finally the weekend and I’m pretty amped about it. My plans include having brunch tomorrow, going on a long hike if the weather is nice on Sunday, and finally doing my taxes. I HATE taxes/tax season so hopefully I get it over with as quickly as possible. As I told my sister last night, I’d rather eat my own hand than do taxes for a living. That is not an exaggeration.

Here’s a song to take you into the weekend. I’ve been really into country music lately.

Tune in Sunday for another Dimanche (That Means Sunday) post. I didn’t write one last week because I got food poisoning, but this Sunday I’m going to put one up.

Crêpes with Citrus Honey Ricotta Filling

Ingredients

for the crêpes:
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk (I used almond)
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 Tbsp melted butter
butter for coating the pan
powdered sugar, blood orange or other orange slices, orange zest for topping

for the citrus honey ricotta filling:
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
1 Tbsp orange blossom honey
juice from 1 mandarin orange
zest from half a mandarin orange

Directions

Blend the eggs, milk, water, flour, and melted butter in a blender on high until smooth. Place the batter in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour before cooking.

Meanwhile make the citrus honey ricotta filling. Whisk together the ricotta, honey, orange juice, and orange zest.

Melt some butter in a pan/skillet. Pour 1/4 cup batter into the skillet at a time and quickly tilt the pan to swirl the batter. Cook for about 30 seconds, then flip and cook for another 10 seconds. Set the crêpe on a plate and stack them as they’re finished to keep them warm.

Once you’re done making the crêpes, fill a few with the citrus honey ricotta filling and place side by side on a plate. Top with orange zest and powdered sugar and serve with orange slices. Enjoy!