Savoury Roasted Pepper Buckwheat Crêpes
It’s Meatless Monday today, and every Monday around these parts!! And here’s a trusty, healthy, kid-friendly go-to for your meatless meal rotation…Buckwheat Crêpes with Balsamic-Roasted Peppers, and a Cashew-Roasted Red Pepper “Cream” sauce.
Crêpes
If you’ve never made crêpes before, you are in for a real treat. You may think these thin, French-style pancakes are difficult to make, but I promise you they are not. Today, I’m filling these little gems with a savoury filling, but the best part about crêpes is that they don’t like labels. Sweet or savoury, these are sure to become a fan-favourite in your homes! Fill them with anything from whipped cream and berries, or Nutella and bananas, to vegetables or meat (though not on Meatless Monday!).
I’ve made these crêpes with a mix of buckwheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour to up their nutritional value. Buckwheat is an excellent source of minerals and antioxidants like copper, manganese, iron and magnesium. It is also high in protein, which makes it the perfect addition to this Meatless Monday Meal. The whole-wheat pastry flour makes for a nutrient-dense but tender crêpe. You won’t miss the all-purpose flour in this recipe, I guarantee!!
The buckwheat and whole-wheat pastry flours also add a subtle nuttiness that pairs perfectly with the savoury filling. If you want to make these crêpes to indulge your sweet tooth, just add 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar (or coconut sugar, if you want to keep them unrefined) to the dry ingredients and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the wet ingredients.
Tips for the Perfect Crêpe
Rest Your Batter
Let the batter sit at room temperature for 1 hour after mixing. This allows the flours to fully hydrate and enhances the flavour of the batter. If you really like to plan ahead, you can let the batter sit overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding with the recipe.
Get your Swirl On
Heat your pan over medium heat for a minimum of 5 minutes to make sure it is good and ready for your batter. When hot, lift the pan off the heat source and pour 1/3 cup of batter (for a 10-inch skillet – use less batter if your pan is smaller) into the centre of the pan, and then get your swirl on. With the pan lifted, swirl the pan so that the batter reaches the edges of the pan. The thinner the better.
Lightly Grease Your Pan
Lightly grease the pan between each batch of crêpes – I like to put a little bit of butter on a piece of paper towel and wipe down the pan between pours. A little goes a long way to creating the perfectly crisp edge that every crêpe should have.
Stack Em’ Up
After achieving the perfect golden brown, transfer crêpes to a plate and repeat with remaining batter. Piling the crêpes onto one another will prevent them from drying out.
Peppers
This savoury crêpe is chock-full of local Ontario greenhouse-grown red, yellow and orange peppers, and on-the-vine and cherry tomatoes. Did you know that peppers are an excellent source of Vitamin C, with over 250% more Vitamin C than citrus fruits by weight? They are also high in Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Dietary Fibre, Folate, Magnesium and Potassium. Yup, they’re that good – a nutrient powerhouse, and oh, so delicious.
Roasting these peppers with a little balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil creates the perfect amount of caramelization and tang.
Roasted Red Pepper “Cream” Sauce – Hold the Dairy
The dairy-free “cream” sauce is so delicious, you’ll never make a dairy-full “cream” sauce again. Sounds like a strong statement, but make this and then decide. I use this luscious, vegan sauce on everything from salad to tacos, and today – savoury crêpes. It’s that versatile. And did I mention it’s delicious? So what are we waiting for? Let’s get this savoury crêpe game going!
LET’S GET going because these Savoury Crêpes are:
WHOLESOME
NUTRITIOUS
SATISFYING
DELICIOUS
MEATLESS
Savoury Roasted Pepper Buckwheat Crêpes
Ingredients
- 75 grams whole-wheat pastry flour
- 25 grams buckwheat flour
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup milk, room temperature
- Pinch kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 6 Ontario Greenhouse Peppers (assortment of red, yellow and orange), stemmed, seeded and cut into four large pieces
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers (from above roasted peppers)
- 1 tablespoon reserved liquid/oil from baking dish (top up any reserved liquid/oil from baking dish with olive oil for a total of 1 tablespoon)
- Boursin or goat’s cheese (optional, but highly recommended)
- Parsley and cherry and on-the-vine tomatoes for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together whole-wheat pastry flour, buckwheat flour and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until well-combined. Then add milk and cooled, melted butter. Whisk until well-combined.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients.
- While whisking constantly, slowly add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Once all wet ingredients have been added, whisk until smooth.
- Cover and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Heat 10-inch cast iron or non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Very lightly grease pan with melted butter. This amount of batter is for a 10-inch pan. Adjust amount if using a smaller pan.
- Gently re-whisk batter to incorporate any ingredients that have settled in the bottom of the bowl. Pour 1/3 cup batter** into the middle of the pan and tilt the pan to spread the batter evenly.
- Cook, untouched, until the edges are set (approximately 1 minute). Run a flexible spatula around the outer edge of the pan, loosening the crepe. Gently flip the crêpe and cook until slightly golden brown (approximately 30 seconds more).
- Transfer crêpe to plate and repeat with remaining batter. Pile crêpes onto one another to prevent them from drying out. Cover plate with clean tea towel until ready to assemble.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Place peppers, cut-side up, in a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish (or similar).
- Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then add garlic, salt and oregano.
- Roast untouched until starting to brown, approximately 30 to 35 minutes. Stir and continue cooking until blistered and caramelized, approximately 5 to 10 minutes more.
- Set aside to cool, reserving any liquid/oil that has accumulated in the baking dish.
- Once cooled, squeeze the 1/2 lemon over peppers and slice peppers into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces.
- Place all ingredients in high-powered blender and blend until smooth.
- Lay one crêpe on a plate. Spread boursin or goat’s cheese (optional) over surface of crêpe.
- Top with roasted peppers. Drizzle lightly with Cashew-Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.
- Roll or fold, and serve with additional sauce and a sprinkling of parsley.