September 27, 2019

Creme Brulee Fruit-Filled Crepe Cones

This whole recipe idea originated from ZoeBakes recipe for lemon mascarpone crepe cake which sounds AMAZINGGG…

…but clearly, this is not that. My brain works in weird ways and it’s all over the place 24/7…but I’d say this was one of my more successful creations.

Zoe’s crepe recipe is amazing, so I used that as the base crepe recipe, but decided to form them into crepe cones! I wanted them to be similar to the crepe cones I get at T-Swirl Crepes when I’m in Carrollton. No measly filling in the inside like the other crepe cone recipes I saw online, I wanted fruit and cream in EVERY concentric circle.

Luckily I was able to find videos of T-Swirl employees making the crepes, and replicated it the best I could at home. I’d say I get an A- at the very least, right guys? Clap for me y’all.

I filled these with lemon curd, pastry cream, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, bananas, and crushed pistachios. Of course, you can fill these with whatever you want~ (lychee, mango, matcha, are options that would be great, I was just too lazy to stop by an Asian supermarket)

I’ve included more visual reference here than I usually do, just because I think the written instructions for forming these can be confusing. I also have video reference, as usual, in my story highlight on Instagram @pokethedough :thumbsup:

Creme Brulee Fruit-Filled Crepe Cones

Base crepe recipe from zoebakes

Ingredients

Makes 12-15 crepes

For the crepe batter:

3 whole large eggs

2¼ cups whole milk

190g (1-1/2 cup) all-purpose flour

30g (2-1/2 tbsp) sugar

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

For the lemon curd:

2 large egg yolks

1 large egg

2/3 cup (134 g) granulated sugar

1 tbsp lemon zest (about 1 lemon)

1/3 cup lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)

Pinch of salt

6 tbsp (86g) unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into 6 pieces

For the pastry cream:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup corn starch

Tiny pinch of salt

2 cup whole milk

4 large egg yolks

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the fillings and toppings (up to your taste):

Variety of fruits, this is what I used: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, bananas

Crushed pistachios

Sugar put aside for brulee-ing (about 2 tsp per crepe cone)

Instructions

Making the crepe batter (several hour or overnight rest): Blend all the crepe batter ingredients together in a blender until smooth; the best way to make a smooth crepe batter, is using a normal blender or hand blender. Transfer to bowl or container and chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

If you don’t have any blending tool, you can whisk by hand. The way to get the smoothest batter possible is to whisk the eggs, salt, sugar, and vanilla together first. Whisk in the milk, then gradually whisk in the flour. Strain into a container or bowl. Chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

Making the lemon curd: Fill a small saucepan with 1-2 inches of water. Place the small heatproof glass bowl over the saucepan to form a double boiler. Place the double boiler on medium heat and bring the water to a boil. Once it begins to boil, reduce to low heat to keep the water at a simmer.

In the glass bowl of the double boiler, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Keep whisking as the curd cooks over the heat. Whisk until the mixture becomes thick, like the texture of hollandaise sauce, about 10 minutes; it should coat the back of the spoon and when you run a finger down, the streak should stay. If it isn’t thickening after 10 minutes, turn up the heat and keep whisking.

Remove the double boiler from the heat. Stir in the pieces of butter; it should melt from the heat of the curd. Pour the lemon curd into a jar or bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, making sure it touches the curd to prevent a skin from forming. The curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Once it cools, the plastic wrap can be removed. Refrigerate until ready to use (leftovers can be kept up to 10 days).

Making the pastry cream: Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small saucepan. In the measuring cup you used to measure out the milk, whisk together the milk and egg yolks.

Pour the milk mixture into the saucepan along with the butter and whisk together thoroughly over medium heat. Bring to a boil – the cream at this point will noticeably be a lot thicker and there will be bubbles coming up and popping. Let it boil for another minute, still whisking. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure it touches the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until ready to use – leftovers keep for up to 2 days. Just before using, whisk to loosen and smooth out the pastry cream.

Cooking the crepes (after several hours or the next day): Gently stir the crepe batter before using.

Heat a crepe pan (or shallow frying pan) over medium-low heat. Lightly butter the pan and pour in about a scant 1/4 cup batter (more or less depending on the size of the pan. Use a ladle so each crepe is the same size).

Cook the crepe until the edges turn golden brown. (I like a crispier crepe so I cook it justtttt a little longer). Using a spatula or cake decorator, lift the edges of the crepe all the way around the pan, then lift the crepe and flip.

Cook on the second side for just a few seconds to set the batter. Do not add any more butter before cooking the remaining crepes. Continue until you have all the crepes you need.

Assembly: Thinly slice your choice of fruit and prep for assembly.

Fill two piping bags with lemon curd and pastry cream (or just use spoons if you’re too lazy which I’ve done). Have your crushed pistachios and sprinkling sugar ready.

Optional: if you want your cone to have more structural integrity, spread a little bit of pastry cream all over a crepe. Place another crepe on top. Top with fillings from there.

Pipe (or spoon) out semi-circles of alternating pastry cream and lemon curd on half of the crepe, like in the picture below:

(Excuse the poor quality, this is an iPhone video screenshot)

Arrange fruit along these semi-circles. Sprinkle with crushed pistachios.

Fold up the crepe halfway, but not completely, leaving a little bit on top.

Fold a triangle and roll the rest of the way to form a cone.

Hold the crepe cone along a square piece of wax paper (laid out as a diamond), and fold the sides in. Tape the loose paper. Serve as is if you don’t want to brulee.

Optional brulee: Put the cone in a water glass to hold it up.

Spoon some pastry cream to cover the filling inside.