Shelly's Recipe

CREPES WITH LEMON SOUFFLE FILLING

Category: Desserts

3 tbsp unsalted butter
5 tbsp sifted flour
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp grated lemon peel, plus 1 long strip lemon peel for garnish
Eight 7- to 8-inch dessert crepes
Confectioners sugar

Preheat the oven to 400. For the souffle base, first melt the butter over low heat in a heavy 1- to 2-quart saucepan. Stir in the flour, then cook, stirring, for one to two minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let this roux cool for a moment. Beat in the milk vigorously to blend the roux and liquid. Stirring constantly; cook for a few minutes, until the mixture boils and thickens. Immediately scoop it into a large bowl and beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Add 3 tbsp of the granulated sugar, the lemon juice and grated lemon peel, stirring thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a whisk or a rotary or electric beater until they cling to the beater in soft peaks. Add the remaining tbsp of granulated sugar and beat until the whites form unwavering peaks on the beater when it is lifted from the bowl. With a rubber spatula, stir a heaping tbspful of egg white into the lemon-soufflé base to lighten it; then fold the soufflé base into the rest of the whites.

Carefully separate the crepes and lay them, speckled side up, on wax paper. Place about 1 tbsp of the lemon-soufflé mixture on the top half of each crepe and gently lift the lower half over it. Then lightly fold the crepes into quarters to make small triangles.

Arrange the crepes side by side on a buttered ovenproof platter. Bake them in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes or until they puff up. Sieve confectioners sugar over the crepes, garnish with the strip of lemon peel, and serve at once. Serves 4-6