Shamrock Crepes

Looking for a yummy and pretty dessert

to serve to celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

These lovely green crepes are so tender

and delicious and super easy to make.

Accented with a chocolate shamrock and

a handful of mini chocolate chips, these

are the perfect dessert.

I just used my regular crepe recipe with a touch

of green food coloring, and my favorite creamy

crepe filling, also with a touch of green.

Crepe Recipe

4 eggs

1 1/2 C. milk

1 C. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 T. melted butter or oil

Place eggs, milk, flour and salt in blender,

and turn on stir.  Blend until smooth and

then add in oil and blend a little more.

Let the batter stand for about 30 minutes to

reduce bubbles.  Stir in green food coloring gel.

Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium high.

Spray with oil.  Pour in about 1/4 C. batter,

and turn the pan to create a thin crepe.  Heat

until it looks dry on the top, then flip and

cook for just a few seconds.  Remove from

pan and let cool.

Crepe Filling

8 oz. room temperature cream cheese,

2 l packages White Chocolate or French Vanilla Instant Jello Pudding

Milk as per directions on pudding packages

12 oz. container Cool Whip, thawed

Green Gel Food Coloring

Mini Chocolate Chips

Whip the cream cheese until smooth.

Prepare the pudding according to package

directions.  Whisk it into the cream cheese.  Fold

the Cool Whip into the pudding mix, adding a little

food coloring gel to create a pretty green.

Spoon some of the filling down the back side

of the crepes.  Sprinkle in a few mini chocolate chips. 

Roll up the crepes, placing the seam side down.

Garnish with additional Cool Whip or 

whipped cream and chocolate shamrocks.

Chocolate Shamrocks

Trace the shape of the shamrocks on 

parchment paper.  I used my small cookie 

cutters for the shape, but you could print them 

off the internet.  Melt chocolate discs and place 

them in a pastry bag with a small tip.  Pipe

the shamrock out, following the pattern.  Let 

cool until hard.

Deconstructed Chocolate Mousse Crepe

Why have a regular chocolate crepe filled with 

chocolate mousse and sweetened whipped cream

when you can have a little fun with the 

presentation and let your guests put it together

or eat it in whatever way they want.

This was our dessert for the Brides maid's dinner.

These fun Lindt chocolate spoons got the biggest

aahhs.  They wondered if I had bought them in

Europe and it turns out I had purchased them

in Bologna, but I found them for you online.  They

are a novelty and about $1.50 each, but that

is so much cheaper than going to Italy to buy them.

I had purchased them two years ago and they

were still great looking and great tasting.

Click here to find them.

The sugared butterflies were purchased

on that same trip only in Paris.  How

fitting for our French inspired dinner.

Chocolate Mousse

(Adaptation of Epicurious recipe)

2 C. heavy cream (divided)

4 egg yolks

3 T. sugar

pinch salt

1/2 tsp. coconut flavoring

1 tsp. almond flavoring

7 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips or

bittersweet chocolate (I used a combination)

In saucepan mix the cream, egg yolks and sugar.

Bring up to 160 degrees, stirring constantly on 

medium heat, being sure not to scorch it.  The

mixture will begin to thicken.  Remove from

heat when it reaches temperature and stir in the

salt and the chocolate chips.  Stir until all

the chocolate is melted and the mixture is

smooth and silky.  

Remove from the pan into a medium size bowl

to help it cool.  Keep it on the counter and stir

in with a whisk occasionally to help it cool to

room temperature or about 80 degrees on

the thermometer.  Add the flavorings.

When the chocolate is almost cool, which takes

about 30-40 minutes, beat the remaining 1 1/4 C.

heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.

When the chocolate is cool, fold in 1/4 of the

whipped cream.  Then fold in the remaining 

whipped cream.  If you fold the cream and

chocolate together before the cream is about

80 degrees, you will melt the cream and the

mousse will go flat.

Refrigerate for about 4-5 hours.
Makes 4 servings

Chocolate Crepe Recipe

2 eggs

3/4 C. milk

1 T. oil or butter

1/2 C. flour

pinch salt

2 T. cocoa powder

2 tsp. sugar

Blend all of the above in a blender until smooth

scraping down the sides of the container.

Set the crepe batter in the fridge for 1/2 hour.

Heat a 10 inch pan on medium.  Spray the pan with

Pam.  Fill a 1/3 C. measuring cup almost full and 

pour it into pan.  Lift the pan and swirl the pan around

creating a nice round shaped crepe.  Let it cook for

a minute or so until dry on the top.  You can

flip it and cook the top for a few seconds if

desired.  Remove from pan to a plate to cool.

I like to butter the tops of the crepes to keep

them from sticking when I stack them.

Sweetened Whipped Cream

1 C. heavy whipping cream

1/3 C. powdered sugar.

Whip on high with the electric mixer's wire whip

until firm peaks hold in the cream.

The deconstructed chocolate mousse crepes were

garnished with some fresh raspberries and strawberry

sauce.

I thought the mousse might be a little time consuming

with cooking the eggs, but it went together really

quickly and the result was so smooth and creamy.

I really like this recipe for a special occasion.

I will be posting with

Foodie Friday

On the Menu Monday