Cheese-Stuffed Crepe with Caramelized Apples

Sometimes, despite your best intentions, you do not get to an item before it starts to turn.  This happened to me today.  I make my own ricotta cheese, which must be eaten within the week, and I decided to use it for breakfast this morning, deciding I would make stuffed crepes.  The ricotta was fine, but my chosen lying-about-the-house apples looked pretty sad.  So, out to the compost heap, they went.  What was I to do?

“;p[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ghfv90lopo,” says Morpheus the cat as he walks across my keyboard.  This was no answer, however.  I had emergency frozen berries but prefer to save them for smoothies.  I had four lovely ripening bananas, which were for banana pudding to be made this week.  Then, I remembered!  At the bottom of my left produce drawer, I had a box of individually packaged snack bags containing apple slices and red grapes.  As I had forgotten to pack them into Papa Satyr’s (my fiance’s) lunches, they obviously needed immediate consumption.  Problem solved!

As I have a love-hate affair with gluten, I made my paleo crepes (see below), a modified paleo tortilla recipe from Stupid Easy Paleo.  So, I tossed the apple slices and grapes with lemon juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon, warmed my homemade ricotta, mixed it with, mmmm, extra goat cheese that I happened to have in the refrigerator, mixed in some real maple syrup, and let cool, while I made my crepes.  Then, I melted butter in the same pan, caramelized the fruit, and ta-da!  Crepes for breakfast!

Though I made this over multiple days, I will post all the recipes here so you can make them all at once should you desire to do so, but you would have to get up pretty early if you want it for breakfast because the cheese takes a few hours.  Feel free to cheat by buying it prepared.  Also, while I mixed cheeses for a desired creaminess of consistency, you can use either one of these or cottage cheese quite successfully in a stuffed crepe.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese/Paneer (Basics)

• 1 gallon milk (whatever percent you want, I used 1%)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar

Stove-Top

1. Pour cold milk into large pan (nonstick if you use them).  Stir in the salt.  Heat over medium until slowly simmering (~200*F), stirring regularly with a wooden or nylon spoon, for approximately 20 minutes.  Do not leave the kitchen.  Do not let boil or scorch to bottom.  Just keep stirring, stirring, stirring…
2. Turn off heat.  Add vinegar and stir until small curds start to separate out.  Cover the pot and let sit until thoroughly cooled at least 1 hour, but I do it for 2 hours or overnight until the #Babysatyr wakes me (about 3-1/2 hours).
3. Place a fine mesh strainer or colander lined with cheesecloth over another large pot.  Pour the cheese pot into this, straining the liquid and gently stirring with your spoon if it drains slowly.  Let sit ~ 15 minutes.  
4. You could tie up cheesecloth, squeeze, and press to make paneer.  I stopped here because I did not use cheesecloth, but a fine mesh strainer.

Slow-Cooker [added 01/12/2025)

1. Pour cold milk into a large slow cooker.  Stir in the salt and vinegar.  Heat on high for 2 hours.
2. Turn off heat.  Let sit for two hours to cool.
3. Place a fine mesh strainer or colander lined with cheesecloth over another large pot.  Pour the cheese pot into this, straining the liquid and gently stirring with your spoon if it drains slowly.  Let sit ~ 15 minutes.
4. You could tie up cheesecloth, squeeze, and press to make paneer.  I stopped here because I did not use cheesecloth but a fine mesh strainer.

Go the Extra Mile: save a quart or more of the whey and use it in smoothies, hot cereals, or baking bread, among other things.

Pack the cheese into a storage container, pour off any residual liquid, and label it with today’s date. Use within seven days.

Assuming you have your cheese on hand, you are ready to make crepes.  The apples must sit and soften, so let’s go there next.  Remember, all my apples were composted, so I used snack bags with grapes.  Do not judge me.  They are handy.  Also, I prepared the cheese stuffing and made the crepes WHILE the apples were sitting.  No need to lounge around inactive.  There is work to be done.

Cheese Stuffing (Basics)

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup goat cheese
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1. In a small pan over medium-low heat, combine cheese and maple syrup.
2. Stir until creamy.  Remove from heat.

Caramelized Apple Topping (Basics)

• 4 apples, sliced
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp honey

1. Place sliced apples in a nonreactive bowl.  Add cinnamon and brown sugar.
2. Pour in lemon juice.  Stir and let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Melt butter in a 12″ nonstick pan over medium-high heat.  
4. Strain apple slices, reserving liquid, and place them in the hot pan. Cook until browned, 5 minutes.  
5. Flip apples and brown, another 5 minutes.  
6. Turn off the heat.  Add honey.  Stir.  
7. Add juices from the bowl.  Stir.  

It will reduce slightly while cooling.  Serve on whatever.  Crepes, in this case. Paleo note: substitute coconut palm sugar and ghee or coconut oil.

While the apples were sitting, I made the crepes.  Then, I used the same pan to heat said apples.  I dirty many dishes in my house because I cook most things from scratch.  The least I can do for Satyr is reuse them when possible.

Gluten-Free Crepes/Tortillas/Naan (Basics)

• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp melted ghee or butter (or melted coconut oil)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
• 4 tsp coconut flour (1/2 this for tortillas)
• pinch of salt
• crepes: 1/4 cup water
• sweet application: add 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• naan: add 2 tsp garlic paste

1. Whisk 4 eggs in a medium bowl.  Add ghee, whisking. Stir in application-dependent add-on ingredients.
2. Add dry ingredients and beat well to combine.
3. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat.  Pour in 3 tbsp batter and roll into circular pattern, evenly coating bottom,not sides.  
4. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side.  Makes 6 crepes/4 tortillas/4 naan.

You can caramelize the apples in the hot pan, as described above. While they caramelize, begin assembly. On individual serving plates, scoop 2 tbsp ricotta mixture onto the crepe. Fold in half. Fold in half again. This forms a wedge on a plate or a cone if served in a glass as a dessert. It looks really sexy in a martini glass.

If you're eating more than one, stagger them on a plate for aesthetics. Top with apples and maple syrup, honey, lemon juice, butter, and/or an optional cinnamon and sugar blend. Everyone has this handy, right?

Cinnamon-Sugar Blend (Basics)

• 1/4 cup sugar, powdered or granulated, depending on application
• 1-1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

1. Combine.
2. Store in an airtight container.

Stuffed Crepes with Caramelized Apples (Breakfast, Dessert)

• 3/4 cup cheese for stuffing
• 6 crepes
• Apple topping, warmed
• 2 tbsp Cinnamon-sugar blend

1. Spread cheese on half of the crepe and fold and fold again.
2. Top with apple topping right from a warm pan.
3. Sprinkle with a cinnamon-sugar blend with a tea strainer or small slotted serving spoon.
4. Put it all together and serve as pictured.

Note Princess Mimsy in the background of the picture.  She wanted to be part of the post, but is shy.