May 2, 2011

Buckwheat Crepes

Recently I made crepes for the first time. They were scrumptious! I expanded my crepe repertoire with these buckwheat crepes, another scrumptious venture. Usually served with a savory filling, these were very good. Buckwheat has a strong flavor, but it wasn't too distracting.

I tried three different fillings using odds and ends from my fridge:

gorgonzola, cream cheese, chopped walnuts
blanched spinach, gruyere, fried egg
sauteed onions, cream cheese, gruyere (my favorite)

Try whatever creative fillings you can think of, but don't forget the cheese! I think I'm becoming a cheese junkie...

UPDATE 6/10/13: Have made these using fresh buckwheat flour that I ground myself.  Fresh flour made these extra delicious and a more-appealing, less-gray color.



Buckwheat Crepes
from Gourmandines

1 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk or almond milk
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, melted

Add the flours and salt to a food processor. Blend for a seconds to combine. Add the milk gradually while processing, and then add the melted butter and mix until blended. Let the batter rest for at least a half hour. Meanwhile, prepare fillings (some ingredients should be pre-cooked; see suggestions above).

Heat a skillet on medium heat. Add a sliver of butter before cooking each crepe. Add three tablespoons of batter and work quickly to spread the batter around by tilting the pan. Also, you can use the edge of a flat spatula to carefully rake the batter to the edges of the pan to evenly distribute the thickness of the batter.

Cook for a few minutes until the crepe bottom is flecked with golden brown. Flip the crepe. Add the fillings to the center of the crepe and allow them to heat up while the second side is cooking. Fold over two sides (like a burrito) or fold over four sides (see photos) to create a square with a bit of the filling exposed in the middle. Once filling is heated and the bottom of the crepe is golden brown, remove to plate and serve immediately.

Note: These freeze well for several weeks. Stack them between pieces of wax paper or parchment, and wrap airtight before freezing. You can make and refrigerate them up to a day ahead of serving.

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