Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy’s Kitchen Prescription
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
Apple-Raisin Crêpes (gluten-free)
Prep Time 40 minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Makes 6-8
Move over Sunday pancakes! Once you taste delicious fruity crêpes, filled with loads of apples and a medley of sweet raisins, light and so digestible, it’s hard to go back to their heavier, breadier cousins. This recipe puts gluten-free buckwheat and quinoa flour to great use, but you can use whatever whole grain flours your like. Great year-round for brunches and elegant desserts, using whatever seasonal fruits are at their peak.
INGREDIENTS
Filling
3 organic apples (I used Honeycrisp here), large dice
1 mixed cup raisins (I used organic Thompson, sultanas, Indian black raisins), rehydrated
½ teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
½ lemon, juiced
1 Tablespoon oat, quinoa or other light gluten-free flour
Lemon zest (optional)
Batter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup buckwheat flour
½ cup oat, quinoa or other light gluten-free flour
2 Tablespoons apricot paste (see notes)
1 Tablespoon flaxseed, freshly ground
¼ teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon (see notes)
1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk or your favorite non-dairy milk
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to keep crêpes warm at 300°F
Prepare filling
To rehydrate raisins, place a small bowl, cover with water, microwave to 1 minute, cool, drain but reserve water. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste (more spice, more lemon, more raisins?). Cover and cook over medium flame, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes or until apples soften and are tender. Do not overcook. The apples, depending on the variety, will release juices. If the mixture dries out, add some of the reserved raisin water. Stir in the flour to thicken the juices and coat the mixture. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in zest, if using.
Prepare the Batter
In a food processor combine all the dry ingredients. Pulse a few times to mix. Add liquids and run a minute to blend well.
Making the Crêpes
Preheat a good non-stick skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. With a ladle, pour batter and swirl the pan to distribute thinly and evenly. Cover for 1 minute. Uncover for 30 seconds and with a non-metallic spatula, loosen the circumference of the crêpe and flip. Adjust heat to create a golden color. Cook another minute or less. Transfer to a rack or woven placemat to cool slightly.
Proceed with the next crêpe and as it cooks, fill the former with spoonfuls of filling. Roll up, plate, place in a warming oven until you’re ready to serve.
Plating
Pretty without adornment, but to dress them up further, you can serve with a dollop of soy crème fraîche and a few fresh edible flower petals.
NOTES
Fruit pastes: Dried fruit make great sweeteners and marmalade, full of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber and far superior to refined sugars and syrups from a health perspective. Experiment with dates, figs, prunes, apricots – they are all wonderful. To make them into pastes, simply cover with water, heat for 1-2 minutes in a microwave or on a stove top to rehydrate, cool, and blend in a food processor or blender. They store, covered, in the fridge for weeks.
Ceylon cinnamon, aka “true” cinnamon can lower blood sugars. The cheaper cassia varieties have now flooded our markets and are commonly sold as “cinnamon”. But Ceylon has a much more beautiful, complex, floral scent and is the only that delivers health benefits. Buy online in sticks and grind in a coffee/spice grinder. The aroma will amaze you! Grind in small quantities to ensure flavor and nutritional potency. Store in a jar, away from light and heat.
