Rania's Recipes: Easter Brunch Crepes

Rania Harris stopped by Pittsburgh Today Live on Wednesday to show off some more recipes you can try out for Easter brunch!

Ham and Cheese Crepes

Crepe Batter:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 3 eggs
• Crepe Filling:
• 2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion ~ coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic ~ minced
• 1 – 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach ~ defrosted and squeezed dry
• 10 ounces whole milk ricotta (about 1 ¼ cups)
• 8 ounces Gruyere cheese ~ grated
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 16 slices baked ham (6 – 7 inch rounds)

For the Crepes:

In a medium mixing bowl or in the jar of a blender, combine the flour and sugar. Add the milk, and eggs and mix well. Refrigerate the batter for 1 hour.

For the Filling:

Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer mixture to medium bowl; add spinach, ricotta, 2 cups Gruyère, and nutmeg as well as salt and pepper to taste; set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat a crepe pan or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat the pan with vegetable oil or nonstick spray. Remove the batter from the refrigerator. Coat the pan with about ¼ cup of batter, cook until the edges start to brown, then flip the crepe. Cook for 10 more seconds and remove from the pan. Keep warm while cooking the remaining crepes.

To Assemble:

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease two 13-by-9-inch baking dishes. Working one at a time, place one ham slice on a crepe; spoon 3 tablespoons filling over ham, then fold as desired. Place in prepared baking pan; top with remaining cheese; cover with foil. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves: 6 servings

Banana Strawberry Crepes

Crepes:

• 1½ cups milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cognac
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ¼ cup melted sweet butter - cooled slightly
• Additional melted butter for cooking crepes

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients, except for the melted butter, in the jar of a blender. Blend the mixture at high speed, scraping down from the sides of the jar any flour that has stuck to them. Add the cooled melted butter and blend well. Allow the batter to settle for 30 minutes before using.

To make crepes: Brush the surface of a crepe pan with a little melted butter. Heat the pan over medium - high heat and add about 2 tablespoons of batter. Immediately tip the skillet, shaking it at the same time to make the batter run all over the bottom. Cook it for about 30 seconds. Flip it over and cook for another 20 - 30 seconds. Slide crepe from pan onto a plate. Continue process with remaining batter. Stack finished crepes with layers of waxed paper between each crepe. Use as directed in recipe.

Yield: Approximately 16 crepes

Filling:

• Nutella
• 1 pint strawberries ~ hulled and sliced
• 4 bananas ~ sliced into ¼ inch slices
• Confectioner's Sugar

Directions:

Spread a little Nutella on one half of each warm crepe. Top with sliced strawberries and bananas and fold into triangles. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve immediately. Allow 2 crepes per serving.

Serves: 8