My favourite type of pancake is the French crepe. I make them all year round and feel as if I’ve got my life together if there’s time to make them at the weekend. If you’ve made a batch and have extra left over, this is a really fun way of using up the excess, transforming a cooked crepe into an impressive dessert.
Chocolate and almond souffle leftovers crepes
Prep 20 min
Cook 15 min
Makes 4
4 cooked crepes (measuring 15cm across)
For the almond base
110ml whole milk
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp caster sugar
A pinch of salt
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp cocoa powder
50g almond butter or praline paste
1 egg yolk
For the meringue
2 egg whites
10g caster sugar
For the chocolate sauce
75g dark chocolate
A generous pinch of sea salt
1 tsp honey
50ml water
To serve
Icing sugar, for dusting
30g flaked almonds, roasted
For the souffle, heat the milk, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a bowl.
When the milk mix is warm, add the flour mix and stir until it turns into a thick paste and the mixture starts to bubble. Take off the heat and scrape into a blender.
Add the almond butter (or praline paste) and egg yolk to the blender jug, and blitz to a smooth paste. Pour into a bowl, cover with clingfilm (you want the film to touch the surface of the batter, to prevent a skin from forming) and set aside to cool.
When the mixture has cooled and is no longer warm to the touch, heat the oven to 190C (170 fan)/375F/gas 5.
Put the almond base mixture in a large bowl and beat gently until soft and pliable.
Make the meringue: whip the egg whites until frothy, then gradually add the sugar and whip to stiff peaks. Fold the meringue into the almond base, until the mixture is light and there are no lumps of meringue. You now have your souffle mixture.
Lay out the crepes flat on a large baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Spoon the souffle mixture over one half of each crepe, dividing the mix evenly between them, then gently fold the empty half of each crepe over the top of the filling.
Bake for eight to 10 minutes, until the filling has puffed up. Meanwhile, make the sauce: put all the ingredients in a saucepan and stir over a gentle heat until melted and smooth.
When the crepes are ready, remove them from the oven and serve immediately with the hot chocolate sauce, a dusting of icing sugar and toasted almonds.
UK readers: click to buy these ingredients from Ocado
