I think we all have certain meals or recipes that make us think of our mothers. With my mother, I have quite a list because she would always be in the kitchen cooking.
Crepes, though, is one recipe that just stands out a little more than the rest. Why?
I grew up with my mom making crepes a lot. (Or for a kid it felt like a lot.) It was one of my favorite things. A hot crepe fresh off the griddle rolled up with butter jam sauce and a little sprinkling of powdered sugar. It was the best!
Since I have myself become a mother, to three precious girls, I have made it a tradition to whip up an amazing crepe recipe every year to celebrate Mother’s Day.
This year? Whipped vanilla ricotta stuffed crepes with grapefruit Campari sauce. My mom said they turned out better than she thought they would. (Which I am not sure is exactly a compliment but I will take it.)
My favorite time was when my mom would make blintzes or ricotta stuffed crepes. I would always request it and it was such a treat when she made them! With this recipe, the ricotta cheese folded into the fluffy whipped cream and the fresh vanilla beans just adds the perfect light and creamy filling.
I am a big fan of grapefruits in general. I just love the perfect balance of tart and sweet.
I was reading in a food book that Campari and grapefruit really complement each other. Since Josh and I are both event bartenders and we tend to get random alcohol here and there, we happened to have some on hand!
I swear, it’s not because we are alcoholics and are addicted to having a wide variety of interesting alcohol at our fingertips.
Yeah….it’s definitely not that.
Josh is like my flavored syrup “sous chef”. I am not going to lie, our blog will probably be jam-packed with awesome flavored syrups, compote, and jam-involved recipes.
There is nothing he loves more than experimenting with essential oils and simple syrups. I give him a flavor profile and he produces an amazing recipe….every time. You can probably guess what essential oil he chose this time!
Yep, lavender!!
(No, I am just being an ass, it was grapefruit and lemon.)
Grapefruit and lemon essential oil are made from the rind, so along with the zest and the juice the syrup produces a sweet but perfectly tangy punch! Which is great if you don’t like cloyingly sweet shit like me.
I mentioned above that I was adding an extra cocktail recipe as well. It turns out that if you add the Campari grapefruit sauce to a bucket glass with ice, and top it with vodka and grapefruit juice you come up with a refreshing and quick “Mother’s Day” cocktail.
You know, if your mom is into that. Josh decided to call the drink “my kind of mother” after me because he knows I am a mother with a little bit of sweetness but a little bit of zest. Like my mother before me. I guess we all turn out a little bit like our mothers sometimes. (But I am okay with that!)
Happy Mother’s Day to all my sassy mommas out there!
Whipped Vanilla Ricotta Stuffed Crepes with Grapefruit Campari Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 5 eggs
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of Salt
Grapefruit Campari Sauce
- 2 cups fresh grapefruit juice
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup Campari
- Zest of one grapefruit
- 5 drops doTERRA grapefruit essential oil*
- 2 drops doTERRA lemon essential oil*
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 2 tablespoons water
- Optional: Sections of peeled grapefruit
Vanilla Whipped Ricotta
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- Seeds from one vanilla bean
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4-5 tablespoons powdered sugar
My Kind of Mother Cocktail
- 1 ounce grapefruit Campari sauce
- 1 ounce vodka
- 3 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
- Ice
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend well. Let sit in the fridge at least 30 minutes. Heat griddle to medium high heat. You only need about 3 to 4 tablespoons for each crepe. Once hot, pour the batter into the middle of the pan. Take your ladle and swirl the batter on the pan until you achieve a thin pancake. Cook for about 30 to 45 seconds per side depending on the heat. You can stack crepes on a plate until they are ready to use. Take a crepe and spread about 1/3 cup of the ricotta filling thinly around the edges and fold into quarters (or you can just roll them like a burrito.) Top with grapefruit Campari sauce, grapefruit wedges and a dusting of powdered sugar. Eat them up!
Vanilla Whipped Ricotta
- Add the heavy whipping cream, vanilla, vanilla bean seeds and the powdered sugar to a mixing bowl. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the ricotta cheese and stir until well combined. Set aside.
Grapefruit Campari Sauce
- In a medium saucepan stir together the grapefruit juice and the sugar. Bring to boil and then lower the temperature to medium-low. Whisk together the tapioca starch and water to form a slurry. Add the slurry and the Campari to the sauce. Let simmer for about 15 minutes or until desires thickness is achieved. Remove from the heat and stir in the essential oils, zest and grapefruit. Let sit until ready to serve.
My Kind of Mother Cocktail
- Fill shaker tin with ice. Add the syrup, vodka and grapefruit juice and shake until well combined. Pour over a bucket glass with fresh ice. Drink it up!!
Notes
