Recipe(tried): Cream Cheese Filled Crepes with Warm Apricot Sauce and Toasted Almonds

This recipe comes from Gourmet Magazine, published some time in 1970. It is a favorite of my family and we make them over and over again. The crepes freeze well too.

Cream Cheese Crepes with Apricot Sauce

Basic Crepe Batter:
3 eggs
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons flour
3/8 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Filling:
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1/2 stick or 1/4 cup softened unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Apricot Sauce:
2/3 cup tart apricot jam
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Garnish:
6 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds

Make the crepe batter.
Put the basic crepe batter ingredients in blender container. Blend the mixture at high speed for a few seconds and turn off the blender. With a rubber spatula push down any flour that clings to the side of the container. Blend the batter again for a few seconds and pour it into a bowl. Let the batter stand, covered, for at least 1 hour.

While the batter is standing clarify the butter: in a small saucepan melt 1/2 stick or 1/4 cup butter. Strain it through cheese cloth into a small bowl. (N.B: I do not do this step. I spray my non-stick crepe pan with canola oil spray for each crepe.)

Make the Cream Cheese Filling:
Combine the cream cheese filling ingredients. Beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy.

Make the Apricot Sauce:
Combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Heat the sauce, stirring, until it is smooth and well blended.

To make the Crepes:
Brush a 7 or 8 inch crepe pan lightly with the clarified butter (here I just spray the pan). Heat the pan until it is hot and pour in about 3 tablespoons of the batter. Quickly tilt and rotate the pan so that the batter covers the bottom in a thin layer and return any excess to the remaining batter in the bowl.

Cook the crepe until it is lightly browned on the bottom; turn it and cook it until the other side is lightly browned. Slip the crepe onto a plate. Continue making crepes in this manner until all the batter is used. (Makes about 12 crepes)

To assemble and bake:
Spread each crepe almost to the edge with some of the cheese filling. Fold in 2 ends of the crepes and roll them up. Arrange the crepes side by side in a buttered shallow baking dish and dot them with 1 1/2 tablespoons butter.

Bake the crepes in a moderate oven (350 degrees F) for 10 minutes, or until the cheese filling is bubbling.

To serve:
Sprinkle the crepes with the toasted sliced almonds (I say the almonds are optional) and serve with the warm apricot sauce.