Serves 4 / These lovely crepes could be a special surprise for an early summer brunch or the dessert at the end of long leisurely dinner—but the recipe is so simple you don’t need to wait for a special occasion. Have the crepes prepared in advance and stored in the freezer, so you can enjoy the sweetness of the ripe red berries and the savory hint of fresh basil as soon as you return from your market. This recipe makes more crepes than you’ll need; allow the extra to cool, place waxed paper between them, stack, and place in ziplock bag in the freezer. 

½ cup ricotta cheese

1 ½ teaspoons powdered sugar

2 cups (about 10 ounces) cleaned and sliced fresh strawberries

1-2 teaspoons sugar

1 twist freshly grated black pepper

1 teaspoon minced fresh basil (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)

Small pinch of salt

Crepes

4 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup nonfat milk

½ cup water

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Measure all crepe ingredients into a blender; blend for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides. Blend for 15 seconds more. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. (This helps the flour absorb more of the liquids.)

2. Mix ricotta with powdered sugar. Set aside.

3. Mix strawberries gently with sugar, basil, pepper, and salt. Set aside.

4. Heat crepe pan (or use a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet). Lightly grease. Measure about 1/4 cup batter into pan. Tilt pan to spread batter. Once crepe has lots of little bubbles, loosen edges with spatula and flip crepe over. The second side cooks quickly, so after about 15 seconds, slide crepe from pan to plate. Repeat with remaining batter (yield: about 20 crepes).

5. Spread 1 tablespoon ricotta mixture on one half of each of 8 warm crepes and fold to cover. Place two crepes on each serving plate. Top with strawberries and serve.

PER SERVING (2 crepes): 344 cal, 40% fat cal, 15g fat, 8g sat fat, 243mg chol, 15g protein, 36g carb, 2g fiber, 464mg sodium