Espresso Crepes with Dark Chocolate Sauce

I found this recipe on MyRecipes.com, a site I will be checking in on more frequently. They have a lot of neat recipes and cooking tips. I also love the themed calendars and series.

This is a dessert for the coffee lover in all of us: Espresso Crepes with Ice Cream and Dark Chocolate Sauce.

The crepes can (and should) be made ahead of time so they are allowed to cool. To cook the crepes, I used an 8-inch skillet and it worked fine. I don't have a crepe pan and would use it so infrequently that I don't want to give up the real estate in my kitchen for one (even though, admittedly, it wouldn't take up much room).

INGREDIENTS

For the crepes

1 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. instant espresso powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. low-fat milk (I used skim)

1/2 c. water

2 tsp. butter, melted

2 large eggs

For the chocolate sauce

1/3 c. half-and-half

2 tbsp. honey
3 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 cups low-fat coffee ice cream (or frozen yogurt)

DIRECTIONS

Crepes

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, espresso powder, and salt in a small bowl.

Combine milk, water, melted butter, and eggs in a blender. Add the flour mixture to milk mixture, and process until smooth.

Cover batter; chill for 1 hour.

Heat an 8-inch nonstick crepe pan or skillet over medium heat. Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into pan; quickly tilt the pan in all directions so batter covers the pan with a thin film. Cook about 1 minute. Carefully lift the edge and turn when the crepe can is lightly browned and can be shaken loose. Cook another 30 seconds or until center is set.

Place crepe on a towl; cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter; makes about 13 crepes.

Chocolate sauce

Combine half-and-half and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook 3 minutes or until tiny bubbles form around the edge of the pan, stirring frequently (do not boil). Remove from heat. Add chocolate; stir until smooth. (Note: As you can tell from the pics, my sauce wasn't all that thin. Maybe a little more cream would have done the trick?).

Fold each crepe in half; fold in half again. Place 1 crepe on each of 8 plates. Top each serving with 1/4 cup coffee ice cream; drizzle with 4 teaspoons sauce.

(Check out that scoop action!)

Nutritional Info

Serving Size = 1 crepe, 4 tsp. chocolate sauce, 1/4 c. low-fat ice cream

Calories: 229 (28% from fat); Fat: 7.1 g; Protein: 6.2 g; Cholesterol: 45 mg; Calcium: 93 mg: Sodium: 105 mg; Fiber: 0.8 g; Iron: 0.6 mg; Carbohydrate: 25.5 g

(Obviously this is a guideline only, as actual content would differ depending on the type of ice cream used, substitutions made, etc)