Strawberries and Cream Crepes

I have some great Valentine's Day desserts to share this week in preparation for your romantic dinners at home. First up- my Mom's strawberry crepes. This is a great make-ahead recipe for an impressive dinner party, a brunch gathering, or a quiet night at home with a special someone. The strawberry cream filling is absolutely amazing but you can mix it up with variations such as my Nutella banana crepe below. (I like to eat left overs the next morning with some melted butter and maple syrup!) The recipes here for the crepes and the filling below serves up to 8 people. The crepe batter itself is assembled in the blender and requires an hour to rest before you cook them. I used an Alton Brown recipe featured on foodtv.com- adding some sugar per the sweet variation. When it comes time to cook them, I use a small to medium sized non stick skillet over medium/medium high heat. It might take one or two to get the hang of it but you'll hit stride from there. I find that brushing the pan with a small amount of melted butter every second or third crepe is all that you need to keep it from sticking. I pour directly from the blender into the pan, maybe a scant 1/8 of a cup per crepe. Pour and then immediately swirl the batter so that it coats the whole pan. It should be just enough batter to barely cover. As Alton suggests, cook the first side for about 30 seconds, and then flip to cook the underside for about 10 second. You can then slide them out of the pan onto a board to cool before stacking on a plate. Once completely cooled, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. (They keep well for a day or two.)

The Strawberries and Cream Filling 8 ounces of cream cheese- softened (the third less fat variety works great)

8 ounces of sour cream- (light is also fine here)

1 cup of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice

At the last minute:

1 cup of whipping cream

3 tablespoons of powdered sugar

2 pints of fresh strawberries, sliced Mix together with a hand or standing mixer until well blended and lump free. You can refrigerate the mixture at this point until ready to serve or even over night. When ready to assemble, set the filling out to soften while you whip the cream with a three tablespoons of powdered sugar until light and fluffy. You could add a splash of Cointreau or Framboise for a little extra something special. I fold about half of the whipped cream into the cream cheese filling along with all but one cup of the sliced strawberries. (Save those for garnish.) Working directly on the dessert plate, put a heaping spoonful of the filling down the center of the crepe and roll it up, tucking the seam side down. I typically serve two per person (though plan on a few extra!)- topping them with some of the extra whipped cream, a few sliced strawberries - and perhaps a dusting of powdered sugar.

They are like sweet fluffy pillows of yumminess. Delicous served with a glass of champagne or sparkling wine. Another one of my all time favorite crepe variation entails simply a generous schmear of Nutella and some sliced bananas- maybe some toasted chopped hazelnuts if you want to get fancy. Another dessert stunner but also great for breakfast if you're a sweets-a-holic like me.