I really like crepes. I apologize to my gluten-free readers that this recipe is not for you, unless you have a handy flour you can sub in for the kamut. It is dairy free, but not vegan, although I can assure you our eggs come from very happy pastured chickens who live a good fowl life. Yes, we get them from The Milk Man.
I really like crepes, but I wanted a version that is lower in grain than our old standby that I'd make with milk and eggs and whole wheat flour. These ones use almond meal and chia seeds, and have a lovely taste and texture.
If you've never made crepes before, I will tell you right off that they are both easy and hard to make. Don't let the word hard stop you, because you will quickly get the hang of it.
You need a good non-stick pan. I prefer my big square cast iron skillet for this, but I'm sure you'll have your fave.
There are 4 main things that make crepes tricky:
1. Getting the temperature just right for perfect cooking
2. Rolling the pan as it were to spread the batter when you pour it on
3. The sacrificial crepe -- more on that later
4. uh ... I forgot what 4 was for ...
1. Now, cast iron pans take a little time to heat up, and I find that my first couple of crepes need 2 minutes per side, but after that 1 minute per side is fine. You want to keep your eye on the heat, and tweak it so that you can brown your crepes slightly without burning them in the alotted time. Usually pretty low -- 2 to 4 on the temperature dial seems to work best for me, but that also depends on the element.
2. You scoop the batter by 1/4 measure on to the middle of the pan, and then pick it up and tip it around and around to allow the batter to spread in a circle. This is how you get a nice thin crepe. If you are using a cast iron pan, it will be heavy, and you'll need to use 2 hands. If it has a helper handle, that can be very helpful for this. You'll need oven mitts after a while as the cast iron gets hot and distributes its heat.
3. Your first crepe will stick, fall apart, be both overcooked and undercooked, and must not be taken as discouraging or significant. Quite frankly, it's part of the process both in pancakes and in crepes. Around here we call it the sacrificial crepe or the sacrificial pancake. The first one in the pan is not a good indicator of things to come.
4. Dang. I still don't know what 4 was for ...
Onwards and upwards.
ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water
4 eggs
1/2 tsp sea salt
black pepper
1 cup almond flour
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup kamut flour
directions:
1. whisk together water, eggs, salt, and pepper
2. add the almond flour and chia seeds
3. add baking soda
4. add kamut flour
5. allow the batter to sit for at least 20 minutes
6. heat up your crepe pan/ griddle/skillet etc after liberally coating with coconut oil
7. when the pan is up to temperature, scoop 1/4 cup of batter on to it, and tilt around and around to spread batter
8. set the timer for 1 or 2 minutes
9. flip with a spatula when the crepe is ready, and set the timer again for 1 or 2 minutes
10. remove the crepe to a plate and repeat until all the batter is gone.
If you are less ocd than I, you can skip the timer, and just wing it, flipping at will. But I can't guarantee the results if you do.
These crepes would be lovely for sweet with the addition of some vanilla and cinnamon in the batter.
As they are, I might try grinding the chia seeds next time, instead of putting them in whole. I found it made for an interesting texture, but I'd also be interested to see what the other way is like.
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