In last month’s  Royal Foodie  Joust hosted by The Leftover Queen/Foodie Blogroll Forum, my Spicy Banana Zucchini Balls entry won the Best Overall Entry (yehey!), which meant I got to choose the three ingredients for the next joust. I chose papaya, tarragon and cheese.

For my non-entry (I can’t enter since I won last time), I made flourless crepes using ricotta cheese and then filled them with chopped ripe papaya, some ground almonds and agave nectar and topped with the most amazing tarragon cream.  I love the anise/licorice flavor of tarragon but it was a little bit difficult to find the right amount of tarragon to use to still get the flavor.  The inspiration for this recipe was Claudia Fleming’s strawberry shortcake from her book The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern. In it, she made this wonderful tarragon cream by first making a syrup and then mixing it with whipped cream.  It had just the right hint and flavor of tarragon (I think) which is also great as frosting or filling for other cakes.

Ingredients:

Crepes:

• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbs sugar (optional)
• 1 tsp cinnamon or finely chopped fresh tarragon
• butter or cooking spray for frying

Papaya Filling:

• 1 medium ripe papaya, peeled, cored and diced into small pieces (you can also slice them thinly instead)
• 1/4 cup ground toasted almonds
• 4 tbs agave nectar

Tarragon Cream

• 1/2 cup fresh tarragon leaves
• 1/3 cup agave nectar or honey
• 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tbs confectioner’s sugar

Directions:

To make crepes:

1. Whisk all ingredients in a bowl except butter or oil.
2. Heat a non-stick pan and brush with butter (or you can also use spray).
3. Drop 2 tbs of batter in the center of the hot pan and immediately tilt back and forth to spread into a thin circle.  (I used a 6-inch pan and made 5-inch crepes. This recipe yielded 8 crepes.)
4. Cook only for a minute or two until set, then flip to cook the other side.  Keep warm in a plate until ready to serve with filling.
5. To make filling, combine all ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

To make Tarragon Cream:

1. Blanch fresh tarragon leaves in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain and quickly plunge in ice water. Drain well, squeezing out any excess moisture.
2. Combine tarragon with agave nectar and puree in a blender or processor. Let rest for at least 30 minutes. This can be made a day in advance and refrigerated until ready. (I left mine in the refrigerator overnight.)
3. If the tarragon syrup was not pureed finely (there are some solids left), strain or run through a sieve to remove the solids. Otherwise it can be used as is. (I just used all the syrup as is giving the cream some tiny flecks of green.) Whip the cream with the sugar until thickened , then add the syrup until soft peaks form. Set aside.

To serve:

1. Fill crepes with filling. Add 2 tsp of tarragon cream, fold or roll.  Add another dollop of tarragon cream on top if desired.
2. Excellent with ice cream or sorbet!

For more amazing recipes using the papaya, tarragon and cheese, visit the website.  Better yet, join in on the fun every month!!

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