Made from cow's milk, fromage blanc tastes savoury and pure. The milk must be extremely fresh and making it is a delicate and skilled process, taking 24 hours. If you can't find it, use Russian cottage cheese, quark or a blend equal parts cottage cheese and yogurt until smooth.
FOR THE BATTER
125g plain flour, sifted
a pinch of salt
1/2 tbsp castor sugar
2 eggs
250ml milk
30g butter, melted, plus extra for frying
FOR THE FILLING
500g fromage blanc
castor sugar to taste
zest of half a lemon
1 1/2 punnets raspberries
Framboise (raspberry eau de vie), to taste (optional)
For the crepes
Sift flour into a bowl, add salt, sugar and eggs and whisk, gradually incorporating the milk and lastly the butter. Allow to sit for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 180C. I like to cook crepes in a cast-iron crepe pan. Otherwise use a non-stick frying pan. Heat the pan over a medium-high heat and add a knob of butter, spreading it all the way around.
When foaming and almost colouring, add just enough of the batter to cover the pan. The batter should be runny and translucent - you may need to add a splash more milk to it. Turn the crepe once it is golden brown. Cook only briefly, then remove to a warm plate, cover with a tea towel and keep warm while you cook the rest.
For the filling
Sweeten the fromage blanc to your liking and add lemon zest. Place a dollop inside each crepe with a few raspberries, fold into triangles and place filled crepes in an oven-proof dish. Heat in the oven for about 5 minutes.
Place on plates and scatter liberally with castor sugar, the remaining raspberries and a little splash of Framboise. Serve immediately.
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