Sometimes, despite your best intentions, you do not get to an item before it starts to turn.  This happened to me today.  I make my own ricotta cheese, which must be eaten within the week, and I decided to use it for breakfast this morning, deciding I would make stuffed crepes.  The ricotta was fine, but my chosen lying-about-the-house-apples were looking pretty sad.  So, out to the compost heap they went.  What was I to do?

“;p[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ghfv90lopo,” says Morpheus the cat as he walks across my keyboard.  This is no answer, however.  I have emergency frozen berries, but prefer to save them for smoothies.  I have four lovely ripening banana, but they are for banana pudding to be made this week.  Then, I remembered!  At the bottom of my left produce drawer I had a box of individually packaged snack bags containing apple slices and red grapes.  As I had forgotten to pack them into Papa Satyr’s (my fiance’s) lunches, they were obviously in need of immediate consumption.  Problem solved!

As I have a love-hate affair with gluten, I decided to make my paleo crepes (which is simply a modification of the paleo tortilla recipe from Stupid Easy Paleo.  So, I tossed the apple slices and grapes with lemon juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon, warmed my homemade ricotta mixing it with, mmmm, extra goat cheese that I happen to have in the refrigerator, mixed in some real maple syrup, and let cool, while I made my crepes.  Then, I melted butter in the same pan, caramelized the fruit, and ta-da!  Crepes for breakfast!

Though I made this over multiple days, I will post all the recipes here so you can make all at once should you desire to do so, but you would have to get up pretty early if you want for breakfast, because the cheese takes a couple of hours.  Feel free to cheat by buying it prepared.  Also, while I mixed cheeses for a desired creaminess of consistency, you can use either one of these or cottage cheese quite successfully in a stuffed crepe.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese/Paneer (Basics)

• 1 gallon milk (whatever percent you want, I used 1%)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar

1. Pour cold milk into large pan (nonstick if you use them).  Stir in the salt.  Heat over medium, until slowly simmering (~200*F), stirring regularly with a wooden or nylon spoon, approximately 20 minutes.  Do not leave the kitchen.  Do not let boil or scorch to bottom.  Just keep stirring, stirring, stirring…
2. Turn off heat.  Add vinegar and stir until small curds start to separate out.  Cover the pot and let sit until fully cooled, at least 1 hour, but I do for 2 hours or overnight until the #Babysatyr wakes me (about 3-1/2 hours).
3. Place a fine mesh strainer or colander lined with cheesecloth over another large pot.  Pour cheese pot into this, straining the liquid, gently stirring with your spoon if it drains slowly.  Let sit ~ 15 minutes.  At this point you could tie up cheesecloth, squeeze, and press to make paneer.  I do not use cheesecloth, but a fine mesh strainer, so I stop here.
4. Go the Extra Mile: save a quart or more of the whey and use in smoothies, hot cereals, or baking bread, among other things.
5. Pack into storage container, pouring off any residual liquid, and label with today’s date.  Use in the next seven days.

Ok, so assuming you have your cheese on hand, you are ready to make crepes.  The apples need to sit and soften, so let’s go there next.  Remember, my whole apples were compost, so I used snack bags with grapes.  Do not judge me.  They are handy.  Also, I prepared the cheese stuffing and made the crepes WHILE the apples were sitting.  No need to lounge around inactive.  There is work to be done.

Cheese Stuffing (Basics)

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup goat cheese
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1. In a small pan over medium-low heat combine cheeses and maple syrup.
2. Stir until creamy.  Remove from heat.

Caramelized Apple Topping (Basics)

• 4 apples, sliced
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp honey

1. Place sliced apples in a nonreactive bowl.  Add cinnamon and brown sugar.
2. Go the Extra Mile: Grind sticks of Ceylon cinnamon in a spice grinder and save in an old spice jar.  You do not have to settle for Cassia Bark.
3. Pour in lemon juice.  Stir and let sit 15 minutes.
4. Melt butter in 12″ nonstick pan over medium-high heat.  Strain apple slices, reserving liquid, and place in hot pan.  Cook until browned, 5 minutes.  Flip apples and brown, another 5 minutes.  Turn off heat.  Add honey.  Stir.  Add juices from bowl.  Stir.  Will reduce slightly while cooling.  Serve on whatever.  Crepes in this case.
5. (Paleo note: substitute coconut palm sugar and ghee or coconut oil)

While the apples were sitting, I made the crepes.  Then, I use the same pan to heat said apples.  I dirty a lot of dishes in my house because I cook most things from scratch.  The least I can do for Satyr is reuse them when possible.

Gluten-Free Crepes/Tortillas/Naan (Basics)

• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp melted ghee or butter (or melted coconut oil)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
• 4 tsp coconut flour (1/2 this for tortillas)
• pinch of salt
• crepes: 1/4 cup water
• sweet application: add 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• naan: add 2 tsp garlic paste

1. Whisk 4 eggs in a medium bowl.  Add ghee, whisking. Stir in application dependent add-on ingredients.
2. Add dry ingredients and beat well to combine.
3. Heat nonstick pan over medium heat.  Pour in 3 tbsp batter and roll into circular pattern, evenly coating bottom,not sides.  Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side.  Makes 6 crepes/4 tortillas/4 naan.
4. Now, you can caramelize the apples in the hot pan, as described above.  While caramelizing, begin assembly.  On individual serving plates, scoop 2 tbsp ricotta onto crepe.  Fold in half.  Fold again.  This forms a wedge on a plate or a cone, if serving in a glass as a dessert.  This looks really sexy in martini glass.
5. Stagger, stacked, on plate for aesthetics, if eating more than one.  Top with apples and maple syrup, honey, lemon juice, butter, and/or sprinkle with an optional cinnamon and sugar blend.  Everyone has this handy, right?

Cinnamon-Sugar Blend (Basics)

• 1/4 cup sugar, powdered or granulated, depending on application
• 1-1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon (remember what I said about grinding my own)

1. Combine.
2. Store in airtight container.

Stuffed Crepes with Caramelized Apples (Breakfast, Dessert)

• 3/4 cup cheese stuffing
• 6 crepes
• Apple topping
• 2 tbsp Cinnamon-sugar blend

1. Spread cheese on half of crepe and fold and fold again.
2. Top with apple topping, right from warm pan.
3. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar blend with tea strainer or small slotted serving spoon.
4. Put it all together and serve as pictured.

Note Princess Mimsy in the background of the picture.  She wanted to be part of the post, but is shy.