Chef's Spotlight > Yvonne Ruperti of Desserticus
By Brian K. Mahoney; Photo by Keith Ferris

Hazelnut Crepes with Sweetened Chevre
filling and Red Wine Poached Figs

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Yvonne Ruperti and Mark Palmieri opened Desserticus in Stanfordville last September after an exhaustive search for the right location in Dutchess County. Ruperti, a pastry chef with a CIA pedigree, said that she and Palmieri were looking for an out-of-the-way location for their business when they settled on tiny Stanfordville. “We wanted to choose an area that didn’t have a bakery-type thing,” said Ruperti. “We wanted to create a destination and bring people to the area.” And, Ruperti, said, their vision was for something “kind of funky.” A funky bakery-type thing? Welcome to Desserticus, where they serve dessert as the main course; no dinner, just dessert. “You’d come here for dessert like you would go to a restaurant for dinner,” said Ruperti, who prepares a range of plated desserts and cakes daily, as well as a range of breakfast baked goods—scones, brioche, muffins, coffee cake—and light lunch fare like quiche, soups, and vegetable pies and napoleans. Ruperti also creates wedding and special occasion cakes.

Ingredients:
For Praline Powder
3 Tbsp. Water
½ Cup + 2 Tbsp. Sugar
1 Cup Blanched Hazelnuts

1. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat sugar and water—stirring
until water dissolves—to a boil. (Wash down sides of pan with
a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent crystallization of caramel.)

3. When caramel turns a light golden brown, pour in nuts and
immediately pour onto greased cookie sheet. (Be careful, caramel
is very hot!) When cool, pulsate in food processor to a fine crumb.

For Crepes
2 Eggs
½ Cup Water
¾ Cup Milk
1 Cup Flour
2 Tbsp. Salted Butter (Melted)
2 Tbsp. Sugar

1. Whisk eggs, milk, water in stainless steel bowl.
Stir in flour, sugar, then butter.

2. Let rest in the refrigerator. Strain to remove lumps.
Stir in ¼ cup Praline Powder.

3. Heat a small nonstick sauté pan over medium heat.
Ladle 1 oz. batter into pan and rotate quickly over bottom of pan.

4. Cook until bottom is golden brown, then carefully invert to cook
other side. Make a total of eight crepes. If batter is too thick,
add a small amount of milk to batter.

For Goat Cheese Filling
4 Oz. Goat Cheese (Chevre)
2 Tbsp. 10X Sugar

1. Stir together until smooth and refrigerate until needed.

For Poached Figs
1 Bottle Dry Red Wine
2 ¼ Cups Sugar
1 ½ Cups Water
1 Cup Orange Juice
4 Tsp. Orange Zest
1 Tsp. Cardamom
1 Vanilla Bean (Halved & Pulped Scraped Out)
2 Pints Fresh Mission Figs, Halved

1. Combine all ingredients except figs in a large,
heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer.

2. Add figs and return to simmer.
Cook gently about 15 minutes until figs are plump.

3.Transfer figs to a bowl and reduce remaining
liquid to a syrup consistency.

Method:
Place 1 Tbsp. of goat cheese mixture in center of each crepe.
Fold in half, then in half again. Place two crepes in center of plate,
points touching each other. Spoon figs over crepes and garnish
with remaining pralines and fresh raspberries.