Oh, you’re having a fall or winter party, you say? A special party? And you need a show-stopper dessert, something that is so delish, a little different, maybe that no one has seen? Baked Austrian Crêpes with Apricot Caramel Sauce – check, check, check!

Serve with Apricot Caramel Sauce.

Let me describe to you a showstopper of a dessert, one that takes you to a village square in Austria; the stars twinkling, snow gently falling, people gathering, chatting, and children running. The air? Crisp, clean. Horses with sleigh bells. Time is suspended.

Then imagine you’ve come inside to toasty warmth, shedding the cold with your hats, mittens, and coats to find the sights and smells of Christmas embracing you. These Austrian Crêpes are ready, just coming out of the oven. The sweet smell permeates the room.

Bake until the tips are golden and custard softly set. Place foil lightly over the top if they brown too fast.

On the table now, just being dusted with powdered sugar as the clink of plates and silverware and warm conversation fill the room. Crispy, golden brown peaks jut out above the pool of creamy custard, and the warmed Caramel Apricot Sauce sits to the side to be passed and drizzled over all.

Then the room quiets, and the conversation comes to a standstill. A bite of these Austrian Crêpes is an experience like no other. A subtle, delicious combination of flavors and textures.

The top of the crepe is a little crunchy and sweet, giving way to the rather fluffy, flavorful filling, punctuated by the fruit. That’s all enveloped, a few bites in, by the luscious vanilla custard, warm and silky. And the Apricot Caramel Sauce, drizzled over the top, just takes this to another level.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Making these crêpes is an anniversary for me; I’ve made these crêpes every Christmas season for the past twenty years. Marked on my recipe card is Gourmet 1994.

• I do remember it called for currants, but I’ve used dried cranberries, dried cherries (chop them a little if they’re large), and even once, finely diced dried pears.
• It’s hard to go wrong. Match the jam inside the filling with the fruit or mix and match. (Dark jams can make the color a little off-putting.) If you want, soak the dried fruit in brandy or Grand Marnier.
• Any dried fruit can go in the caramel sauce, too. Or if you’re in a hurry – I know this recipe is a lot – use a good store-bought caramel.

Break the Recipe into Doable Parts:

Baked Austrian Crêpes with Apricot Caramel Sauce are a bit of a project, but by breaking it down into components it’s easier than you’d think. That keeps me (and by me, I mean you, too) from filling up my kitchen with pots, pans, and dirty dishes and makes baking these off, even during a busy Holiday, a piece of cake…er, crepe!

• First, make the Apricot Caramel Sauce ahead (anywhere from a day to five or six) and reheat it for serving.
• The Crêpes are best made ahead, layered between wax paper in the fridge for a day or two, or in the freezer for longer. Thaw overnight before using. Think about doubling the crepes and freezing extra for a quick, elegant dessert anytime. Yeah, who’d be the hero, then?
• Mix up the filling, spread it on the crêpes, and roll them up to 4 hours ahead. (Don’t mix and fill any longer ahead. If the filling is made ahead, it hardens in the fridge, and if the crepes are filled and refrigerated for longer, the texture changes.)
• When ready to serve, whip together the custard sauce and bake the crepes off. 🙂 The custard sauce can be made ahead, but it is so easy to make, I don’t. It shouldn’t be fridge cold. For safety reasons, I’m uneasy about taking custard sauce from the fridge and setting it on the counter to come to room temp.

With just a little planning, this extravaganza of a dessert comes to the table looking absolutely effortless! Happy Holidays, from my house to yours.

Mollie!

This is the final dish.

Baked Austrian Crêpes with Apricot Caramel Sauce

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Overview: First make the crepes and the filling, then assemble the crêpes and place in dish, whisk together custard sauce, pour over the crêpes, then bake.

• Author: adapted from gourmet
• Prep Time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours
• Cook Time: 35 to 40 minutes
• Total Time: 2 1/2 hours plus chill
• Yield: 12 to 14 servings 1x
• Category: Desserts Crepes
• Cuisine: Austrian

Ingredients

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To assemble the Austrian Crêpes:

• 18 to 25 crêpes, from this recipe for crepes
• filling, below

Filling:

• 1/2 cup dried currants, dried cranberries, or dried cherries
• 1 cup boiling-hot water
• two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup apricot jam
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Custard Sauce:

• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 cup milk

Finish and accompaniment:

• confectioners’ sugar for dusting
• recipe for apricot caramel sauce

 

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Instructions

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly butter a 14-inch-long oval gratin dish or another  2 1/2-quart shallow baking dish.

For the Filling:

In a small heat-proof bowl plump fruit in boiling-hot water for 15 minutes. Strain and pat dry between paper towels.

In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat whites with a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add sugar to whites and beat until it holds stiff peaks.

In a food processor or in a bowl with an electric mixer, blend together well the cream cheese, jam, yolks, zest, and vanilla. Fold the cream cheese mixture into the egg whites gently but thoroughly, and fold in the plumped fruit.

Assemble the Austrian Crêpes:

Working with 1 crêpe at a time, spread about 2 tablespoons filling down the center of each crêpe. Fold in half over the filling, and roll from the center. Gently pat to make sure filling is distributed throughout the length of the crêpe.

With a sharp knife, cut crêpes on a diagonal in half and arrange vertically, cut side up, overlapping slightly. Crêpes may be prepared up to this point 4 hours ahead and chilled, covered. Bring crêpes to room temperature before proceeding.

Custard Sauce:

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, and milk, and pour over the stacked crêpes, letting custard seep between layers. If necessary, depending on how tightly packed, nudge the crepes just a bit to allow the custard to seep through.

Baking:

Bake the dish in the middle of the oven 35 to 40 minutes, or until puffed and the custard is softly set. Watch carefully as this varies quite a bit with different pans and ovens.

Have a piece of foil ready to gently lay over the top of the crêpes once they’ve turned golden brown, as the tips may easily burn. Cool to warm before serving.

Finish and accompaniment:

Dust crêpes with confectioners’ sugar and serve with apricot caramel sauce.

Note: save the drained off liquid from the dried fruit & mix it with any of the carbonated water leftover from the crepes for a fun, fizzy, fruit-flavored carbonated water.

Don’t waste your sparkling water used for the crepes or the soaking liquid strained from the fruit…chef’s snack!