Dad's Crepe Recipe
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How I converted a beloved family recipe into a Vegan one
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A perfect way to start your weekend!
We were a crepe household and not a pancake house! My father's side of the family is French and my Grandmother used to make him and his three brothers crepes instead of the more commonly known pancake. Now I don't want to make it sound like he grew up in the south of France with crepes every morning. What is much closer to the truth is that when Grandma could afford it, sometimes she made crepes, in her kitchen in Southern California. Growing up poor didn't allow for every morning crepes and especially given the way Grandma made hers! Dad called them "Country Crepes." They were like a urban legend growing up. My sister and I only had them once and to this day I still think I may have dreamed them. They were huge and fluffy and fried in butter and tasted more like sweet flat cakes! I had never eaten anything like them in my life - Still haven't! They didn't look or taste anything like the "City" crepes I grew up with. Yup thats what Dad calls his recipe. "City Crepes." They are light and thin and dad never put any sugar in them. Often they are made of nothing more then flour, water, egg and a pinch of salt.
So when we were kids and it was a special occasion Dad would make us a stack of crepes! This recipe is based on my Dad's "City Crepes" I've just made them vegan! This took me awhile to get the the right ingredients not using egg or right flour, but I couldn't imagine living in a world were I couldn't eat Crepes!
Dad's City Crepes Recipe
serves about 4
1 Cup of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 Cup of Soy/Almond or Rice Milk
Pinch of salt
Dash of Oil(olive or safflower)
Teaspoon Vanilla Extract (or more to taste)
Some water
Earth Balance Butter(vegan)
The key to this recipe is the flour!
Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
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| (It works so much better then heavy Whole wheat Flour and so much better for you then White Flour.) |
1. Sift (if ya like) the Pastry flour in a bowl.
2. Then add a pinch of salt.
3. Whisk in a Cup of Soy/Almond or Rice Milk.
4. Keep whisking while you add a dash of oil (just enough to make them runny)
5. Now to get the right constancy you shouldn't be afraid to add water.
*The batter shouldn't look thick like pancake batter but runny.
6. Add in the Vanilla and start heating your pan.
7. You want your pan to be hot before you put in the first ladle of batter.
Add Butter before each crepe this will prevent sticking
(
*and pay a little homage to my Grandmother)
8. Ladle in your first crepe.
*As you pour move the the pan in a small circle to thin out the batter to the edges.
9. After a few minutes and you see the edges of your
crepe start to peel away from the pan its ready to flip.
*I don't suggest using a spatula for this as they are usually to rough.
My Dad always used his fingers to pull and flip it himself and
called me a sissy when I didn't want to cause it was too hot.
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| Haha! Who's the sissy now Dad?! |
Anyway as much as I hate to admit it that really is the best way.
10. Now just repeat this a few dozen times till you've gone through the batter.
They keep well, covered in the refrigerator or even frozen.
If you try and save the batter it just gets thicker and thicker.
To serve just fill them with whatever you like!
My mom and sister like cream cheese(or vegan cream cheese) and jam.
My other sister enjoys butter and brown sugar.
I used to eat them with just butter.
Now I love them with any kind of fruit...
Cinnamon and Sugar...
And always with real Maple Syrup!
Hope you enjoy them as much as I always have even now that I'm Vegan!
Bon Appetit!
