This is a quick note on an outright spectacular combination of goodness offered by the summer season. We made two versions, one with blueberries, which was really really good:
However, the version with nectarines was simply our of this world. I could not exercise enough restrain to take a picture before digging in:
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To make this dessert one needs crepes, a filling, and some fruit to accompany the crepe. Each of those allow for oh-so-many options! Let us dream - below is a longish list of options, some requiring almost no work, and some that need a bit of effort. The point is that one can start slowly and more modestly, and then expand the repertoire while learning how to combine flavors and textures.
Suggestion; It is easier to experiment if one makes a small batch and does not expect the outcome will be that great. Mostly, the challenge can be if one overdoes with sweetness or some liquid. Note that psyllium husk can be a handy tool for taming excess liquid.
Crepes
I used a combination of millet flour, buckwheat flour, and almond flour, probably about 1/2 cup each, 3 eggs, a swig of avocado oil, a tiny pinch of salt, and a decent pinch of brown sugar. For liquid it was mostly whole milk, and some water. I think I also added a tablespoon of psyllium husk, simply because I was experimenting and wanted to see the impact. Psyllium husk made the crepes less fragile, but didn't harden the texture, but they needed more liquid, which I eyeballed.
You can use any combination of flours, as long as you don't make salty crepes. I used to find making crepes frightening, so I recorded ingredient ratios for crepes in another post so that I can refer to it when I feel I need to get grounded.
If you are not into crepes, this recipe would also work with pancakes: I would add some butter on a pancake, a dollop of filling, and top it with fruit.
Filling
I used ricotta, fresh tarragon, juice and grated rind of a Meyer lemon, cinnamon, and a combination of honey and maple syrup. Ratios were eyeballed, I just wanted to make sure the filling was not very sweet. I added a sprinkle of psyllium husk - a tea spoon or so - to absorb extra moisture.
My particular goal was to highlight the flavor of tarragon, and from traditional Slovenian cooking I know that ricotta and tarragon pair really nicely together. Sweetness was no to be overpowering - this is where maple syrup and honey can help, and one needs to moderate the quantity. To balance the flavor, some acidity was needed, hence the lemon and the lemon rind.
Even the filling I made deserves experimentation: Quark, cottage cheese (I'd smooth it in a food processos), traditional Slovenian skuta could be used as a vehicle for flavors, and there are probably other options, maybe even non-dairy ones.
Sweetening can come from may sources - different sugars, different honeys, different syrups. I prefer desserts to be less sweet, and I try not to use plain (and addictive) sugar. One cold even go more coarsely and add chopped dates, chopped figs, raisins, blueberries, cranberries, or really any other dry fruit that could provide sweetening. Dried fruit tends to improve when one soaks it in rum or some sweet liquor.
I really liked tarragon as the flavor protagonist. What else could serve that role? One could try other herbs - for some reason I think thyme would be interesting. Marjoram, oregano , or sage feel too far out there, but who knows what they would do. Lemon balm and mint may do great as well. One could also omit the herbs and let dried fruit take over as the flavor driver - some toasted and chopped pecans may do really well. Or mix in some jam or nut butter. How about chopped chocolate, cocoa nibs (what would the texture be), or cocoa powder (with extra sugar) - it all depends on where one wants to take this dessert.
The filling needs a touch of acidity. Meyer lemons are great, but regular lemons work as well, I would be careful about the amount of lemon juice used, so that acidity does not take over.
Try to the filling with some liquor, such as Grand Mariner, Amaretto, Frangelico or whatever you wany to try, be careful not to overpower the filling with alcohol.
A great option for a filling is pastry cream, or simply use gelatin-stabilized whipped cream, optionally with fruit or other flavorings. Or make a Bavarian cream, which really is just a combination of the two.
One cold also take a non-dairy route. A quick home-made marzipan with less sugar that store-bought would do great as a filling. I added extra liquor and a dash of cream to make it spreadable, and definitely some lemon juice or another form of acidity to balance our the flavor. Not so surprisingly, tarragon is also a great addition. Instead of ground almonds, one could use other kinds of ground nuts - hazelnuts, pistachio, pecans, walnuts area all worthy candidates.
A simpler route for a filling is to use something straight from a jar or a package: Jams are classic - but I prefer not to go with jam when there is fruit topping. Nut butters - almond, hazelnut, pecan, walnut, peanuts, whatever you have. I tend to make them myself to control the amount of salt and oil added. A chocolate spread works, as does straight up chocolate, melted or chopped finely.
Fruit
The simplest approach is to garnish a crepe with a bit of cut-up fruit, or pomegranate seeds. If you want to invest some more effort, sauté the fruit with a bit of unsalted butter, and add just a bit of sugar to create some caramel. You can flambe the fruit to add more flavor and to impress your audience. Depending on the fruit, it may benefit from a dash of lemon (Meyer lemon tends to do really well), and maybe some vanilla.
