Crepes with Nutella, Mascarpone and Bananas

I’ve been vacillating for the past week as to whether or not I should actually post this.   It’s not that I have any reservations about how good these are (oh, they’re very good), it’s just that they really aren’t all that remarkable in the sense of being, well, ground-breaking.  I mean, crepes… nutella, it’s been done.  That, and the fact that I recently posted this.  Redundant AND unoriginal.  Oh dear.

But what finally convinced me to go ahead and post them is that I’m sort of stuck on how really delicious they are.  Like really good in a very homey, simple, lovely sort of way.  And I just don’t see how we can turn up our nose at this.  There must be room in our lives for the delectably conventional, no?

So here’s another confession of sorts… I’ve never bought, nor have I tasted Nutella.  Am I the last one on the planet?  Before you scoff, let me explain.  I’ve not bought Nutella because the version made for the U.S. market has been altered by the addition of trans fats, which I refuse to consume.  I believe that this has recently been remedied by the replacement of said trans fats with palm oil.  I still have not bought any.  But when I saw this at my Trader Joe’s recently,

I caved and brought some home.  After tasting it (OMG!), I stuck it in the fridge and soon noticed that it was sitting right next to a little container of mascarpone cheese.  Well, overnight they became best friends and were soon begging to be united in a crepe, and again I caved.  With the addition of sliced bananas, well, you know the rest.

My affection for these humble little crepes is quite sincere, and therefore, they have found their way onto this page.  Perhaps it’s their lovely simplicity that makes them actually quite special.  Here's the recipe...

Crepes with Nutella, Mascarpone and Bananas

Click here for a printable recipe

Serves 4

8 crepes (recipe follows)

1 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature

1 cup Nutella (or Trader Joe's Cocoa Haze)

1 or 2 bananas thinly sliced

1 cups chopped toasted hazelnuts (optional)

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

2 tablespoons of powdered sugar

Make the crepes (can be done a day ahead and refrigerated).

Combine the Nutella and mascarpone cheese.  Reserve a little of the mixture for serving.

Combine the cocoa powder and powdered sugar and set aside.

Spread some of the Nutella mixture on 1/2 of a crepe.  Top with a few slices of banana.  Fold the crepe in half over the filling and then in half again to form a triangle.  Continue with the rest of the crepes.

To serve, place 2 crepes on a plate.  Top with a dollop of the reserved Nutella mixture and a slice of banana.  Using a small sifter, sprinkle with the cocoa powder mixture.  If using, sprinkle with the toasted hazelnuts.

Crepes

1 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup warm water

3 tablespoons of melted butter

2 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

Whisk everything except the flour until well combined and then stir in the flour.  Stir quickly to create a smooth, loose batter.  If it seems a little thick, add a little more milk.

Crepe batter can be made up to 2 days in advance, covered and refrigerated.

Melt about a 1/2 teaspoon of butter in a small nonstick saute pan (or spray with cooking spray).

Put the pan over medium heat. Fill a 2-ounce ladle, almost to the top, with batter and pour it into the preheated pan, tipping and rolling the pan, as you ladle the batter, to evenly cover the bottom.

When the edges of the crepe begin to pull away from the edges of the pan and the bottom begins to brown a little, turn the crepe over and cook it for about 1 minute on the other side. Remove the crepe from the pan to a plate and let cool. Stack the crepes as they are cooked (I've never had a problem with them sticking together).