Crepe Diem

I found a recipe for a gluten free crepe on About.com and thought I'd give it a shot. I've really been missing breads and thought this would be a great substitute for bread during breakfast in the morning. I'll be honest, I really didn't have high hopes for this recipe. I've read several articles and blogs that are never impressed with gluten free breads so I expected the same. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised and they are quite good. I first had it as a snack with a wedge of the garlic and herb flavor of the Laughing Cow cheese and it was very good. Next I had it with my breakfast and that wasn't as good. I used vanilla soy milk, which makes the crepe a little sweeter, and it just didnt seem to go together. It could have been what I had in with my eggs or maybe the crepe and egg aren't friends, I'm not sure. I'm going to try it again and try rice milk instead and see if that makes a difference in making it more savory than sweet. Despite not liking it with eggs it's certainly a recipe worth sharing because the beauty of crepes is that it can be paired with anything!

GF Crepes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups milk OR your favorite dairy free milk substitute
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter OR light olive oil
• 1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• Light olive oil or canola oil to grease skillet

Pour milk, egg, melted butter OR olive oil and vanilla into a blender pitcher. Whisk the dry ingredients together and add to the blender. Blend just until combined and smooth. The batter will be very thin like very thin pancake batter. Add more milk, one teaspoon at a time if the batter is too thick.

Note-Batter can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to one day.

To Cook Crêpes- Heat a low-sided 8-inch skillet or crêpe pan over medium high heat. Add 1/4 teaspoon oil to the skillet and brush to coat the bottom of the skillet. (Do this before making each crêpe) Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the heated skillet. Swirl the skillet until the bottom of the pan is covered with batter. Cook the crepe for about 1 minute- the crepe should be barely moist on top. Use a thin spatula to loosen the edges of the crêpe, slide the spatula under the crêpe and gently flip it upside down. Cook for about one more minute, just until golden and transfer crêpe to a cooling rack or plate. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Some quick notes - the first crepe will most likely break so don't get discouraged. Scott, who makes these daily for the restaurant, breaks the first one of each batch every time. Each crepe gets easier and easier as you make them so just use that first one as a nice snack. To store them, place wax paper between each crepe and refrigerate in a plastic bag. Warm them in the oven at 200 F for 5 minutes before serving. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months and warm the frozen crepe in a 300F oven for 5 minutes to thaw and serve.

Need topping or filling ideas? Spread cheese as I did, throw some berries on top, replace your wrap for your sandwich or tortilla shell for taco night for the crepe. The possibilities are endless!