Let me make no mistake about it.  I really like these things, but you may be wondering what, exactly, a crepini is.  As near as I can tell, they’re not quite a crepe and they’re not quite an ini, so they’re sort of a combination of the two.  Okay, that was dumb.  Ini’s not even a word.  I should be ashamed for writing that.

In actuality, my Twitter friend @CrepiniCafe describes them as a cross between a crepe and a blini, which I think works, but we can unpack that a bit more.  From first glance (see over there), they probably look like your average run-of-the-mill filled crepe, but the folks at Crepini Cafe have made something that was anything but ordinary.

For starters, they crepes they use are outstanding.  Despite being frozen (all Crepini Cafe products can be found in the freezer section), then thawed, and reheated in a skillet by a lout like myself, the wrapper (okay, I’ll just call it a crepe for short) is still pliable and light.  That’s a major plus in my book since normally I would assume my crepe would be nice and rubbery after being treated so.  This made be due in some ways to the fact that the Crepini Cafe crepe is a bit thicker and more robust than your average crepe (which is, if I am not mistaken where the blini part comes in.)

The one drawback of having a more robust crepe wrapper is that there is always the danger it can overpower the ingredients it oh-so-gently envelopes.  That is something I had to keep in mind when I cooked with the naked crepes (more on that in another post) and it was obviously something that Crepini Cafe kept in mind when they picked their fillings.

This is how you end up with sweet La Dolce Vita (chocolate…hello!) crepini, earthy portobella parmesan crepini, cheesy four cheese and basil crepini, and gently sour Vishnya a la Russe sour cherry.  These powerful choices deliver big flavor and work with the tastes of the wrapper itself to make a wonderful snack or even a light meal  (Well, light for me anyway.) 

How do they taste?  Good!  It should come as no surprise to anyone that Mrs. WellDone’s favorite was the La Dolce Vita crepini because it had chocolate in it (I thought they were a bit sweet.) 

My personal favorite was the Portobella Parmesan because a) they had mushrooms in them and b) I could taste them.  The filling had a deep earthy mushroom flavor, but was also nice and creamy from the Parm.  It was a classic mushroom/cheese pairing that worked out very well with the savory tastes of the crepe.  As I was eating them, I kept thinking that somehow this flavor combination was just right.  It wasn’t too mushroomy (at least for me), it wasn’t too cheesey, and it just worked.  So, yeah, I want some more.

If you have the slightest inclination to try your own crepini, what are you waiting for?  Here is the Crepini Cafe ordering page where you can your own crepini shipped right to your door and hopefully into a warm skillet you have waiting for just that purpose.

Then all you need is a few minutes per side and it’s go time.  Enjoy!

Thanks to Crepini Cafe for the picture.