Apple Walnut Crepes at the Whistling Swan Inn

I’ve always been a foodie, but ironically enough, my interest in food extended only to eating it, rather than cooking it. So when we decided to buy the Whistling Swan Inn, my son, Matthew, had a lot of sage advice about what to serve my guests for breakfast.

“Basically Mom”, he said, “B&B guests want good food, served elegantly, and they want it to be something they wouldn’t necessarily cook themselves.” So I set about finding new things to serve my guests that would meet Matt’s criteria. This elegant dish is an adaptation from one I found in a cookbook tucked away on a hard-to-reach shelf.

3 eggs

3/4 C milk

1/4 Tsp salt

3/4 C flour

1/3 C water

Whisk batter ingredients until smooth. Lightly spray an 8-inch skillet with cooking spray and when hot, pour in a small amount of batter, just enough to thinly coat bottom of skillet. Cook both sides over medium-high heat, until golden brown. Gently remove from pan; place on cloth towel to cool slightly. Prepare the rest of the crepes. Makes 12 crepes; serves 6.

6 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced semi-thin

2 T lemon juice

1/3 C raisins

1/2 C chopped walnuts

3 T brown sugar

3 T cinnamon

Pinch cloves

6 T butter

1/3 light cream or half and half

1/2 C dark rum or apple juice

Devonshire cream, thinned orange marmalade, chopped nuts, powdered sugar for garnish

Toss apple slices with lemon juice. Add raisins, walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Heat butter in large pan. Saute apple mixture on medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add cream and rum (or apple juice). Continue cooking for another minute or two until bubbling. Do NOT overcook – apples should stay firm. Arrange crepes on 6 warm plates, 2 per plate. Using a slotted spoon, fill with apple filling and a dollop of Devonshire cream. Fold tops in toward center. Drizzle folded crepes with thinned marmalade and dust with finely chopped nuts and powdered sugar.