Harmony Kitchen

I love having a couple of go-to recipes for those nights when I open the fridge and look at its contents like a deer in headlights.

Crepes are one of my favourite solutions for those nights. They come together quickly with simple ingredients that I almost always have on hand and I can fill them with many things that I keep stocked in the fridge or freezer.

Bonus: the batter flat-pack freezes easily so I can double up and keep some in the freezer for an even quicker meal-to-the-rescue for my future self!

Ingredients

• One cup cold water
• One cup cold milk*
• 4 eggs*
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups all purpose flour (1847 “daily grind” works well and will be back in stock soon!)*
• 4 tbsp melted butter, extra for oiling the pan
• *Harmony Farm ingredients

Equipment

• Blender
• Flexible spatula
• 10″ non stick pan, preferably carbon steel
• Turning spatula

Method

Before prepping any fillings, make the crepe batter.

Crepe batter needs to rest at least 30 minutes (and up to 24 hours) in order to hydrate the starches and relax the gluten particles. Rested crepe batter will be delicate and tender instead of gummy and tough.

To make the batter, add ingredients, in the order listed, to the blender. Mix on high speed for 30-60 seconds, until fully mixed. If some solids stick to the sides of the blender, scrape the sides down with a spatula and blend for 1-2 seconds to incorporate. Set aside on the counter (or refrigerate if >30 minutes wait time)

This is a good time to prep some fillings. You can use just about anything but here are some ideas:

• Cheese, +/-egg
• Ham, cheese and béchamel/Mornay (cheese) sauce, +/- egg
• Greens (eg nettles/ramps/spinach/kale), onions, cheese and béchamel/Mornay (cheese) sauce, +/- egg
• Mushrooms, cheese, béchamel/Mornay (cheese) sauce, +/- egg, +/- leftover chicken
• Smoked salmon, creme cheese, capers and dill
• Ratatouille +/- cheese
• Pesto and cheese
• Any fruit, maple syrup
• Lemon and sugar

When your fillings are prepped and your batter is rested, it is time to start heating your pan.

Have your batter, pan, melted butter, basting brush, turning spatula and a plate for finished crepes ready for action.

Brush pan with a little melted butter and heat over medium/high heat until it is just starting to smoke. Then remove from the heat and, while holding the pan by the handle, pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan while rotating your wrist so that the batter covers the bottom of the pan. Any batter that does not stick can go back in the batter bowl/blender.

Place the pan back on the heat until the batter is cooked and the edges are starting to pull away from the sides.

Work the turning spatula under the crepe and turn it over (or use your hands to gently pick up the cooked edge and turn the crepe). Cook the second side for ~30 seconds then slide the finished crepe onto a plate.

Cook all of the crepes then fill them.

They can be filled two at a time at low heat in the same pan they were cooked in by placing topping over half of the crepe then folding over the other half and covering the pan to allow a build up of gentle heat that will cook eggs or melt cheese (eggs will take ~3 minutes to cook inside a covered pan, open the crepe to peek at the egg to make sure it is done to your liking before removing from the pan).

Fold into quarters and serve!

Time Savers, Storage Tips and Spin off Recipes

• Frozen batter helps on those nights when even the thought of making a batch of batter is too much to contemplate!
• Frozen Béchamel/Mornay sauce will pull together any odds and ends in the back of your fridge and freezer to make this quick and inexpensive recipe taste like a gourmet night out.
• I make big batches of béchamel any time I have ordered too much milk and see it won’t be used up before its best before date.
• I freeze it in portions that can be used for recipes like this, or tossed with some pasta and cheese for an amazing homemade mac and cheese or even lasagne.
• Here is my go-to recipe for bechamel:
• Start with two pots and a whisk
• In one pot, at medium heat, warm 2 cups of milk and 1/4 tsp salt to a simmer
• At the same time, in a second (heavy bottomed) saucepan, melt 2 tbsp butter over low heat. Then add 3 tbsp flour. Stir then allow to froth (while stirring) for about two minutes. This cooks the flour for better flavour and texture.
• Remove the butter/flour mixture from the heat and add the warmed milk all at once. Whisk until well mixed then return to the stove over medium heat. Bring to a boil for one minute then remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• That’s it:).
• If you would like to convert this from Bechamel (white) sauce to Mornay (cheese) sauce, add 1/4-1/2c cheese and a pinch of nutmeg and stir to melt/combine.

Did you Know?

Using farm fresh eggs can make a simple recipe like this extraordinary.

Farm fresh eggs are typically much fresher than grocery store eggs. They also have more vibrant yolks, firmer whites and many more nutrients (omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins A, D and E) because of the conditions in which the hens are raised.

Harmony Farm hens are free to go outdoors to forage and soak up their daily quota of vitamin D from the sunshine. Not only will your farm fresh eggs be more delicious and nutritious but you will know that they were laid by happy hens.

This Recipe’s Plant Count: 1 in the crepe batter, as many as you can think of in the fillings!

Time required: 30 minutes active for batter/cooking + 30 minutes rest/filling prep time

# Servings: This recipe makes 10-12 crepes.