Limoncello Crepes

This past Friday I was dying for something sweet and delicious, but I've been feeling a bit under the weather, and I definitely wasn't up to cooking anything myself.  Unfortunately, I live in a bit of a culinary dessert--food here is notoriously bland and sub-par overall.  I remembered, however, that there was a Cheesecake Factory at the mall.  I really don't like cheesecake very much, but I like the mousse-y cheesecakes at Cheesecake Factory, so I decided to give it a shot.

I'd been itching to make a lemon cream cake all week, so I knew I wanted something with lemon and berries.  When I saw the Limoncello cream torte, I was sold.  It was SO delicious, and SO worth the wait!  The cake had an airy crumb yet it was somehow very dense at moist all at once.  The mascarpone cream filling was divine, and the crumb topping provided some nice textural balance.  The fresh sliced strawberries served with the cake made for a delicious balance of sweet and tart, yum!  This crepe recipe was inspired by my lemon cake craving and Cheesecake Factory's wonderful Limoncello cream torte.  Enjoy!

For this recipe, prepare the batter first, then set aside.  Make the sauce once the batter has rested then begin cooking the crepes according to the instructions below.

Crepe Recipe
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
2 eggs
1 cup milk (whole, skim, almond, etc)

Procedure
1. Measure the flour into a bowl, make a well in the center, and add the eggs.  Whisk, drawing in the flour.

2. Continue whisking, pouring in the milk in a light, steady stream, gradually drawing in all the flour.

3. Whisk until smooth.  Let stand about 30 minutes so the starch grains absorb the liquid and swell

4. Ladle enough batter into a lightly greased pan (dip the napkin in oil and lightly grease the pan) (an omelet pan is ideal)

5. Cook over medium heat for 60 seconds, or until golden underneath.  Loosen the edge and flip the crepe over.

6. Cook the other side of the crepe for 30 seconds, or until golden.  Serve.

7. Oil the pan lightly before making the next crepe.

Limoncello Sauce
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
1/8 c water (optional--use only if your sauce is too tart for your liking)
caster sugar or powdered sugar to taste (I used about 2 TB or so of powdered sugar)
1 TB cachaca or white rum (I only used cachaca because that's what I had on hand)
1/2 stick of butter, cut into pieces

Procedure:

1. Place all in a large nonstick pan or in a medium to large skillet until the butter has melted.  Simmer gently for 5 minutes

2. Reduce the heat to low.  Place 1 crepe in the pan and turn it over to coat on both sides.  Folk it in half then fold it in half again.  Move to the side of the pan.

3. Add another crepe and repeat the same process.  Overlap the first crepe and repeat.

4. Enjoy with whipped cream and fresh berries.

References: Crepe suzette recipe in Cooking Essentials by Barry & Spieler and the Cooking Club of America