Ricotta Crepes with Smoked Salmon....

Of all the things that France has done for the world, is there anything more satisfying than the Crepe?  It forms so perfectly to fit just the right ingredients to make a perfect breakfast. Or any meal for that matter.

Ricotta cheese provides an unexpected tenderness to smoked Salmon-filled Crepes.

A meal that needs to be fresh, we wanted everything about this photo to express that feeling.  The Art Director and Client were here for this shoot, and we all had the same idea of natural light.  So to keep things consistent, we created the natural light by using a combination of soft light and point sources.

But before we could start lighting the food, we had to pick our surface and props.  We started this shot by trying to arrange different props and surfaces, but ultimately everything seemed to take away from the hero of the shot, the salmon.  So we kept everything very subtle and minimal.  This really helped the color of the salmon explode in the photo.

To make wonderful Crepes like these, try this Lemon Herb Sour Cream recipe:

Recipe Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

Crepes:

1 cup quick mix flour     1 cup milk     1/3 cup cold water     3 eggs beaten     4 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for pan     Pinch of salt

Smoked Salmon and Sauce:

1 cup sour cream or creme fraiche     1 lemon, zested and juiced     1/4 minced dill     2 tablespoons snipped chives     2 tablespoons chopped capers     Salt and ground black pepper     4 ounces smoked salmon     Caper berries for garnish (optional)

Directions:
In a medium bowl, add all of the crepe batter ingredients and whisk together until smooth.  Expect the batter to be thinner than normal pancake batter.  Refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes.

Lightly brush a 6 inch crepe pan or small nonstick skillet with melted butter and put over medium high heat.  Ladle a few tablespoons of the batter into the center of the hot pan.  Lift the pan, removing it from the heat and swirl so the batter coats the bottom of the pan in an even layer that's as thin as possible.  

Return the pan to the heat and cook until the edges are crisp and the batter loses its shine, about 45 seconds to 1 minute.  using a nonstick spatula, flip the crepe and continue cooking on the other side, another 45 seconds.

If you imagine your crepe to be divided into quarters, you only want to add filling to the bottom corner in order for it to fold properly.

Combine the sour cream or creme fraiche, lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, chives and capers in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Once you have all the steps complete, build your crepe and enjoy.