An unexpected guest dropped by the other day, and stayed far longer than I expected (read: he would not leave!). Yes, apparently, I am that delightful. I was in the midst of something, hadn’t had lunch, so during the last hour of our visit, my stomach growled uncontrollably. Finally, waiting for him to take a breath so that I could interrupt the onslaught of conversation, I asked if he would like a cup of coffee and a sandwich. Yes, he told me, he would like a cup of coffee, but since he’d had lunch, he’d prefer to have dessert with his coffee. Dessert? Who said anything about dessert?! Is the word “Bakery” stamped on my forehead? I was so weak from hunger that I agreed to serve him desert with coffee before I realized that I didn’t have any. The entire time I was in the kitchen grinding coffee beans, slicing bread for my sandwich, and getting out lettuce, tomato, ham, and cheese, my brain was on overload. Dessert, dessert, what do I have that I could use as dessert? I scanned the room left to right, right to left. I spotted a rather sad bunch of bananas that had seen better days, grabbed them, and set them on the counter in front of me. What would go with bananas, I wondered? I started rummaging through the cabinets, as discreetly as possible, pulling out a package of Melissa’s Ready-to-Use Crêpes, a jar of salted caramel sauce, toffee bits, and, while grabbing the mustard from the fridge, pulled out a bowl of Devonshire cream that I had made the day before. As I was slicing my sandwich and plating it, I laid a crêpe out on the cutting board, topped it with a dollop of the Devonshire cream, bananas, toffee bits, rolled it up, gave it another topping of everything, drizzled it with caramel sauce, plated it, and handed it to my wordy guest along with a fork. He didn’t bother with the fork, simply picked up the crêpe as though it were a hotdog, and took a big bite. Sounds of ecstasy emanated from deep within. Mutterings of “delicious,” “exceptional,” and “SO good,” followed. Obviously, he loved it. This was not the first time that I silently thanked Melissa‘s Produce for saving my bacon. Their crêpes have saved the day for me time and time again. They last a good while in the pantry, but also freeze beautifully, so it’s wise to have a couple of packages on hand. My friend added that peanuts would be good crumbled on top, so I made him another one and added peanuts. I think for a moment there he visited heaven. I had considered calling these Emergency Banana Crêpes, but decided instead upon Toffee Caramel Banana Crêpes, because it sounded so much tastier. Don’t be put off by their austere appearance, there is decadent goodness contained within. These are good, folks, and easy, and cool, and perfect for summer. Consider using any fruit that you happen to have on hand such as strawberries, blueberries, or peaches. Any one (or a combination) of those would be sensational. So cool yourself off, and treat yourself to this delicious, easy, last-minute dessert. Toffee Caramel Banana Crêpes 1 Melissa’s Ready-to-Use Crêpes 1 banana (or fresh fruit of your choice) 2-3 tablespoons Devonshire cream (recipe follows) 1 tablespoon toffee bits (I used Heath Bits-of-Brickle) 1 tablespoon Salted Caramel Sauce Place crêpe on a flat surface. Dollop Devonshire cream down the center, top with slices of banana, and about a tablespoon of brickle bits. Roll up, place on a plate, top with more Devonshire cream, bits, and a couple of slices of banana, and drizzle salted caramel over all. You may also consider adding chopped peanuts, or a sprinkling of fleur de sel to up the saltiness. Experiment and have fun, you simply cannot go wrong. Devonshire Cream 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 3 tablespoons granulated sugar Pinch of salt 1 cup heavy whipping cream Beat together cream cheese, sugar, and salt. Slowly stream in whipping cream, beating constantly, and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Chill for two hours before serving. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. NOTE: I used my stand mixer with the whisk attachment to make this. I found it worked much better when streaming in the cream. As you can see from the photos, the results were beautiful. PRINT RECIPE A savory way in which to use these life-saving crêpes is this crowd-pleasing Chicken and Mushroom Crêpe Casserole. This post is linked to: Thursday Favorite Things Funtastic Friday Pink Saturday Snickerdoodle Create Bake & Create Grace at Home Friday at the Fire Station Create, Bake, Grow and Gather This post contains affiliate links.
