STRAWBERRY FLAMBÉE OVER LEMON RICOTTA-FILLED CREPES

Makes: 6 servings

For the crepes:

1 ½ cups milk

3 eggs

1 pinch salt

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour Cooking spray (or a little additional butter)

For the filling:

2 cups ricotta cheese Grated zest of 1 lemon Grated zest of 1 orange 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup granulated sugar

For the sauce:

½ cup granulated sugar 3 cups strawberries, hulled

½ cup fresh orange juice

¼ cup Grand Marnier 2 tablespoons butter

Note: This recipe makes 18 crepes in a 6-inch skillet. Using a 10-inch skillet will result in about 6 or 7 crepes. The process is the same, but use about ⅓ cup of batter for each crepe, and fill each one with ⅓ cup of filling.

1. For the crepes: Put the milk and eggs into a blender and blend them thoroughly for just a few seconds.

With the blender running at low speed, add the salt, melted butter and flour, in that order, through the feed hole in the blender lid. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate, covered, at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

2. Heat a 6-inch nonstick skillet over low heat. Spray it with the cooking spray or grease with just a little butter. Pour a couple of tablespoons of batter in the center of the skillet and swirl the skillet around to make one thin, even layer of batter. The goal is not to brown the crepe but to cook it just enough to flip.

3. Once the crepe gets lacy around the edges and pulls away from the skillet, about 2 minutes, use a spatula to flip the crepe over. Cook the second side for only about 30 seconds, or not at all. Transfer the crepe to a large plate and repeat with the remaining batter. Once the crepes are cooked, they can be stacked and wrapped in plastic wrap for future use.

4. For the filling: Put the ricotta, citrus zests, vanilla and sugar into a medium mixing bowl and stir until smooth. The filling may be covered in plastic and refrigerated up to one day before serving.

5. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Lay a crepe out on a clean surface, cooked-side down. Put 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. Fold the crepe in half and then half again into a quarter. Repeat the filling and folding process with the remaining crepes and filling. Set the folded crepes on a cookie sheet and keep warm in the oven.

6. For the sauce: Heat a large sauté pan over high heat until warm. Add the sugar and strawberries and cook until the sugar starts to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add the orange juice and Grand Marnier. Using a long-handled lighter, very carefully ignite the alcohol in the pan (stand back, as the flames may shoot up). Once the flames die out, stir in the butter.

7. To serve, arrange 3 crepes on each of 6 dessert plates and spoon some strawberry sauce over the crepes.

— Recipe from “My New Orleans: The Cookbook” by John Besh