Combine apples, crepes for yummy dessert

A few years ago, I wrote a column about my childhood obsession with crepes. It stemmed from a crepe cookbook my parents received as a wedding present.

My parents recently celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. To this day, they have made two recipes out of that cookbook: the first a basic crepe recipe, the second an herbed chicken and white wine sauce main dish - Chicken Elegante. This recipe is a family favorite and even though my siblings and I are old enough to make it ourselves, it tastes best when Mom and Dad make it for us.

The cookbook is a mess. The spine is bent, the cover is ripped, and its inside pages are stained with raw egg, melted butter and crepe batter. I managed to find a like-new cookbook at a used book sale years ago and gave it to my parents as an anniversary present. It sits on the bookshelf in the family room, next to the well-loved version.

I'm pretty sure they've never used it and won't until the original cookbook disintegrates. I'd make fun for them for that, but I'd probably do the same thing. No, I know I would.

Keeping with my goal to break free of the same old recipes, I took out my copy of the crepe cookbook (thank you online shopping) and forced myself to think beyond the Chicken Elegante recipe. The cookbook has more than 200 recipes. It says so right on the cover. I just never bothered to look before.

There are several poultry recipes that look promising and a few beef recipes touted as 'budget stretchers” that will be used in the future. I skipped the appetizer and egg section, bookmarked the crepewiches ('A sandwich that's different!”) chapter to read later, and turned to a chapter I'm surprised I haven't explored before: desserts.

Crepes are a simple food. They can be plain or chocolate, savory or sweet, and used in anything from breakfast to dessert. This recipe for Apple Crepes with Cheese tastes like homemade apple pie with cheese. With apple-picking season just around the corner, it's the perfect fall dessert.

APPLE CREPES WITH CHEESE

Makes 10 crepes.

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

5 cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced

3 ounces of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup dairy sour cream

10 cooked crepes

Bring water, sugar and cinnamon to boil in a saucepan. Add apples, simmering until tender. Drain; save syrup.

Fill crepes with drained apples; fold over. Place in skillet or chafing dish; pour syrup from apples over crepes. Heat to boiling.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese with cheddar cheese until smooth; stir in sour cream. Serve with hot crepes.

Source: Crepe Cookery by Maple Hoffman (H. P. Books; 1976)