So, after traveling non-stop this past year, I decided to spend some much needed time in my own kitchen. Here is a Lemon Crepe Stack that is absolutely divine! You seriously should consider this for the 4th of July picnic this year - the lemons are awesome this season!
I can honestly say that I like it better the next day. It has had a chance to set a bit and cuts much better than trying immediately. If you try cutting right after assembly it tends to slide...which is never a good thing! The crepes, the curd and the candied lemons can all be made a day in advance. In fact, the entire cake can be, so no worries there!
If you're interested in the recipe, I've typed it in below. It is a bit time intensive, but it is well worth the effort if you are serving lemon lovers! I do have two in my family that aren't and although they eat it, (just TRY to stop any of my family from having dessert! Go ahead...try!) they aren't as enthusiastic about it as the rest of us are that truly love the lemon flavor. Because of this, we are going to try a nutella, peanut butter & banana version for them!
Also, I've never purchased lemon curd in a jar, so if you know of a good brand, this would take alot of work out of the lemon version. The curd-making is by far the longest step, and the crepe making is the toughest step until you get the hang of it! ;-)
Sweet Crepe recipe:
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 pinches of salt
1/2 c superfine sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 c milk
4 TBL sweet butter, melted
light olive oil, veggie oil or butter, for greasing pan
1. Put the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and make a well in the center. Put some of the milk and both eggs into the well. Whisk using a fork, slowly incorporating the flour into the liquid until it is all a smooth paste.
2. Whisk in the butter and add the rest of the milk. Put the mixture into whatever container you're going to pour it out of when you cook, then let it rest for 10 minutes.
3. Put oil or butter into the crepe pan or heavy skillet until it is VERY hot. Pour off any excess.
4. Pour a little batter into the pan and tilt until it is a thin layer. cook 1-2 minutes. This part is purely by eye and the first crepe is always a practice crepe! Don't get discouraged! If you're nervous, make 1 1/2 of the recipe so you can practice - you have to plan on eating the mistakes so have jam or chocolate or something to roll into the mistakes! They NEVER go into the garbage!!
3. Flip with a spatula for about 30 seconds. You may need to re-grease the pan between every 1 or 2 crepes, depending on the pan you use.
4. You can use wax paper to layer them so you can use them later. These can also be made a day ahead, like the lemon curd AND the candied lemons(optional).
Lemon Curd (adapted from Martha Stewart recipe)
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 TBL cold water
4 large eggs and 6 egg yolks
1 c sugar (add 1/4 sugar if using regular lemons and not Meyer lemons)
2 TBL lemon zest (very fine) - MEYER Lemons preferred - can use same lemons to juice below
3/4 c freshly squeezed lemon juice (approx 6 lemons)
6 TBL cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and kept chilled
2 c heavy cream, whipped Separated 1c for curd and 1c for topping decoration!
1. Sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand 4-6- minutes.
2. Whisk eggs and yolks in a saucepan. Whisk in next 3 ingredients and cook over med-low heat, whisking constantly. Check for doneness by seeing if it coats the back of a wooden spoon. This step should take 10-12 minutes. Don't be alarmed if it takes a bit longer. Mine sometimes does and I can't say why...just does!
3. Remove from the heat and add the gelatin stirring until its dissolved and mixed in completely. Add the butter a bit at a time and stir thoroughly between each addition until smooth.
4. Strain through a fine sieve and then cover with plastic wrap - directly on TOP of the curd. Put it in the frig for a couple of hours at least. It can be made the night before up to this point.
5. Stir the curd and add in the whipped cream gently. Refrigerate again for at least an hour and then stir before using.
Candied lemons: (totally optional)
1 c sugar
1 c water
2 lemons, washed and sliced 1/4" slices (again, Meyer lemons are less tart)
1. Bring sugar and water to a boil. Wait for the sugar to dissolve and add the lemons. Cover the top of the water with parchment paper. Reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. Let the lemons cool under the parchment. The lemons you want to use for the cake, take out and drain on a rack. The rest of the lemons can be stored in the frig in their syrup for 3 weeks. Use it on other desserts, ice cream, yogurt, etc. I have to tell you that I forgot about mine in the frig and when I found them it was past 3 weeks and I was devastated that I'd gone to all the trouble and had to toss them! Take my advice and put them in the FRONT! ;-)
Assembly:
At this point I like to arrange my crepes in size order. I don't know if it's just me or not, but I can't seem to make all of my crepes come out exactly the same size, so I start with the largest on the bottom and work my way up!
Place the first crepe on your serving platter. Spread a little less than a 1/4 c of the curd on top. Add a crepe on top and continue until you've gotten about 15 layers.
At this point, the 1c whipped cream left over from making the curd comes in handy for the decoration. This is plenty of decoration, but IF you made the candied lemon also, it is a beautiful addition and tastes awesome, too!
*Note: I have a wonderful friend, Dorothy, that traveled to Paris last year and brought me back a blue steel crepe pan all the way from France! She is amazing and I love her for this! It is one of my most treasured possessions. If you're interested in finding one of your own, the website on the back of my pamphlet that came in the box is www.world-cuisine.com and I can't say enough to reinforce how this pan has made my crepe-making experience fun instead of dreadful! May you ALL have friends that satisfy your need to cook!
