Recipe: Rum Raisin Apple Crepes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese

One of the best parts of fall is seeing ripe, affordable apples fill farmer's markets and grocery stores. Classic recipes, such as apple pie, are a popular use, but why not try something new?

Whether entertaining holiday guests or enjoying a comfortable meal at home, these rum raisin apple crepes are a flavorful choice for brunch or dessert. They are full of fluffy cream cheese flavored with cinnamon and raisins soaked in Zaya Gran Reserva Rum. The rum softens and plumps the raisins, adding a rich flavor with a hint of oak. Fresh Granny Smith apples softened in butter and brown sugar add the finishing touch.

Crepe Recipe
Preparing impressive homemade crepes is nearly as easy as cooking traditional pancakes. Alton Brown's crepe recipe, available here, is extremely simple and reliable. However, I prefer to use twice as much batter for each crepe. Four to five tablespoons of batter creates a crepe that is thin but slightly less delicate, making it easier to handle. Using this method, one batch yields approximately nine crepes.

Rum Raisin Apple Crepe Recipe
Yield: 8 crepes
Ingredients
1/4 cup raisins, recommend golden raisins
1 tablespoon rum, recommend Zaya Gran Reserva Rum
4 tablespoons butter
2 medium Granny Smith apples, diced
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 crepes
chopped pecans, optional

Directions
Combine the raisins and rum in a small dish. Cover and let stand for thirty minutes.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add diced apples and cook for approximately thirty seconds.
Stir in brown sugar and continue cooking until apples are tender. Stir as necessary. Set aside.

Add cinnamon to softened cream cheese. Use an electric mixer at medium speed to beat the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy.

Add rum-plumped raisins and any unabsorbed rum to cream cheese. Fold to combine.

Fill crepes with cream cheese. Add apple mixture and roll crepes. If desired, sprinkle with pecans.