I remember when my children were in their teens and my oldest stepdaughter, Lisa, who God called home this past Christmas, would stand in front of the old gas stove and make crepes in the small cast iron skillet until she got them right. Lisa was born to be a Italian chef but just never got the chance to do it.
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| Crepes Ala Orange |
Crepes have always been a signature dessert in French cuisine. I remember that the owner of the first company I worked for was something of a Gourmet Chef. Even though he was Jewish, he treated the employees to a Christmas Party which was a gourmet meal that he would cook himself at a famous Pittsburgh restaurant. The dessert was a Crepe Ala Sch...... This was his own crepe filled with fruits and and orange liquor sauce that he flambeed at the table. It was a sight to behold for an awe struck 18 year old.
The Italian side of my life was filled with crepes that were also used for desserts but they were fruit filled according to the season, rolled up with whipped cream on them. They weren't fancy but they were always deliciously light at the end of a filling meal.
Another use of the basic crepe in the Italian household is to make ricotta stuffed specialties such as manicotti. You can use the basic ricotta and egg mixture to fill these or you can make the filling with spinach along with the eggs. I prefer the ones with spinach because not only do they make a better appearance they are more healthy to eat. The crepes are laid out on a greased glass dish and then covered with a marinara sauce and grated cheese sprinkled over the top before they are put into the oven.
As I think about it, I don't see why you can't use your basic crepe as a start for your Cannoli. After all what is a cannoli except a rolled up shell with delicious sweet fillings and powdered sugar.
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