Vanilla Crêpes With Blood Orange And Mascarpone

I made these vanilla crepes for Fenwicks to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. Blood oranges are delicious at this time of year, but if you can’t find them regular oranges will do too. I love to add a splash of amaretto for a boozy kick but feel free to omit. Just don’t miss out on the crushed amaretti biscuits as they add a wonderful crunch.

| Serves 2-3, makes roughly 6 crêpes |

Ingredients

150g plain flour
a pinch salt
300ml milk

2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Blood oranges
25g butter (plus more for the pan)
1tbsp caster sugar
Splash of amaretto (optional)
amaretti biscuits and mascarpone to serve

300ml milk
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Blood oranges
25g butter (plus more for the pan)
1tbsp caster sugar
Splash of amaretto (optional)
amaretti biscuits and mascarpone to serve

Method

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees fan setting.
In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the flour and salt. In a large jug whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla extract.
Very slowly pour the wet mix into the flour whisking as you do until you have a smooth batter. Chill the batter in the fridge for at least 30 mins, ideally one hour.

Slice just one of your blood oranges very thin and arrange the slices in an oven-proof dish. Add the zest and juice of your second orange and dot over the 25g butter. Sprinkle over the sugar and bake for about 15 mins until your oranges are soft and slightly caramelised in places.

Switch off the oven, splash over 1-2 tbsp of amaretto liquor over the oranges and place them back into the oven to keep warm.
To cook the pancakes heat a small knob of butter in the pan.

Pour a little batter into the pan and immediately swirl it around making sure it goes to the edges to create a thin crepe. Use the first pancake as a bit of a road test to gauge how much batter you need. I like to pour directly from the jug but feel free to use a ladle.
Cook for about a minute until bubbles appear on the surface then flip and cook for a further minute.
Repeat until you have finished the batter, keeping the cooked pancakes covered.
Serve the crêpes with a generous spoonful of mascarpone, the roasted blood oranges and crush over some amaretti biscuits.

If you are looking for more pancake recipes try these Fluffy Banana Pancakes With Caramelised Banana.