This post comes to us courtesy of food writer and editor James Schend, blogger at Dairy Freed.
How do you celebrate your birthday? Today, I celebrated mine with CREPES! Keep reading to learn how easy they are to make.
Crepes are very simple, and they’re just a little more impressive than pancakes, my other favorite breakfast food. You can make them ahead of time and store them between sheets of wax paper. Growing up, when my mother knew we were going to have company, she would make a bunch of crepes, wrap them around a browned breakfast sausage link and place them in a 9- x 13- inch baking pan (coated with cooking spray). She then froze them; up to a month would be just fine. Then all you do is pop them in a 350ºF oven until they’re hot, about 30 to 45 minutes.
In today’s version I added a little something special to the batter…Ground Tahitian Vanilla Bean. If you haven’t tried it, you really need to. It’s a great way to add real vanilla flavor without the expense of whole vanilla beans. Plus, you get those little brown seeds in your dish just like you would if you scraped a vanilla bean.
Vanilla Bean Crepes with Orange Marmalade Sauce
Be sure to not skip the resting step. It will take at least 30 minutes for the gluten (the protein in flour) to relax. You can even make the batter the night before and store it in your refrigerator.
1/2 cup unflavored almond milk or 2% milk
2 large eggs
2 oz. all-purpose flour (1/2 cup)
Pinch of salt
2 tsp. sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp. Ground Tahitian Vanilla Bean
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup orange liqueur
Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a small bowl just until smooth. Set batter aside at least 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter into the center of the pan. Swirl the batter around to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Cook 20 to 30 seconds, just until the batter is almost set on top, and then flip. Cook 10 seconds and then slide crepe onto plate. Fold in half horizontally and then in half vertically to form a triangle. Repeat with remaining batter.
After crepes are made, add marmalade and liqueur to pan and stir to combine. When fully melted, pour over crepes and serve immediately.
About the author: A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, James Schend’s culinary career began when he won his first cooking contest at 8 years old. He’s gone on to write and develop recipes for national magazines and culinary websites. His own blog Dairy Freed focuses on the challenges of dairy-free cooking.
