Serves: 6–8Prep Time: 20 minutesCook Time: 30 minutesInactive Cook Time: 20 minutes to 1 hour
MARIO: I serve this dish at some of my restaurants, and I’m often asked if these crepes are breakfast or dessert? My answer: does it matter? They’re delicious, so why not eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’d even eat them standing in front of the fridge as a late-night snack. Which is why when The Chew viewer Sara asked me for an easy, sweet breakfast to satisfy the whole family, this was the first dish that came to mind. It’s got a rich, creamy chocolate filling that is tucked inside a light-as-a-feather crepe, perfectly balanced and unbelievably delicious. And look, if you don’t have the time to make crepes from scratch, the store-bought ones are a fine alternative. I won’t tell if you don’t.
½ cup hazelnuts, finely ground
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 pinch of salt
1 cup whole milk
2 eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for pan
FOR THE CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT RICOTTA FILLING:
2 cups ricotta, drained
1 cup chocolate hazelnut spread, plus extra to garnish
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pinch of salt
½ cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped, to garnish
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and ground hazelnuts and a pinch of salt.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and 4 tablespoons butter. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until combined and there are no lumps. Allow the batter to stand for 20 minutes to an hour.
3. Melt a pat of butter in small nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Pour 2–3 tablespoons of batter into pan and swirl to coat.. Cook until pale golden on the bottom, about 1 minute. Flip and cook just 5 or 10 seconds on the second side. Remove and set aside on a plate.
4. Continue the process until all the batter has been used. (At this point you can freeze the crepes. Wrap stacks of up to 20 crepes tightly in plastic and then in foil; when ready to use, thaw overnight.)
FOR THE CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT RICOTTA FILLING:
5. Combine all ingredients except hazelnuts in a bowl and mix well to combine. Set aside.
6. Fill each crepe with some of the chocolate hazelnut ricotta mixture and fold in half.
7. Garnish crepes with a drizzle of chocolate hazelnut spread and some chopped hazelnuts.