Gluten Free Cassava Flour French Crepes

Maisie's crepes filled with Nutella...Yumminess!

Maisie adores crepes, but as she's gluten free, they haven't in the past come always out as delicious or as close to regular crepes as we would have liked.  That was until we started using cassava flour in place of other flours.  Cassava crepes cook up beautifully and taste gorgeous! The only difference when making cassava crepes compared to those made with all-purpose flour is, they need to be cooked a bit longer, because cassava flour can tend to produce a gummier texture.  But, if the crepes are cooked just that little bit longer, they come out perfect with the right amount of elasticity, chew and with no gumminess.  The crepes hold together well and reheat beautifully.  We store them in the refrigerator, folded in quarters, stacked one upon another and wrapped tightly with plastic wrap to keep in the moisture. Reheat time in the microwave is 10-15 seconds.   

Gluten Free Cassava Flour French Crepes

• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 4TBS. melted ghee or butter
• 1 tsp. sugar, (optional to use, or can use any sweetener of your choice)
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• ¾ cup cassava flour
• 2 c. milk (I use whole milk)
• ½ tsp. vanilla bean paste  or vanilla extract (for sweet crepes only)
• ghee or butter for frying

Add the eggs to the jar of a blender and process on medium-high for about one minute.  Add the melted ghee, sugar & salt.  Blend until fully combined,  Add the milk and process on medium-high for one minute.  Stop and add the cassava flour.  Process on high for two minutes then reduce to low for an additional 2 minutes, so that most of the air bubbles are removed.  (This whole process can be done in a bowl with beaters but it doesn't blend quite as well so the batter would need to be strained through a fine sieve to remove any remaining lumps before frying.)

Heat a crepe or fry pan on medium and add enough ghee or butter to lightly coat the pan.  For a 7-inch pan I use 1/8 cup of the batter.  Once pan is heated add the batter and swirl pan to evenly spread the batter.  Allow the crepe to cook until the edges start to brown.  Use an offset spatula to release the edge of the crepe from the pan.  Once the edges start to curl, gently place offset spatual under the crepe and flip the crepe over.  Cook the second side for 15-20 seconds, until lightly browned.  To remove crepe from pan, Turn pan over and bang onto a foil lined baking sheet.  

Immediately add new batter to the pan and repeat the process.  If the batter does not spread well and sputters, your pan is too hot.  Also, because there is so much ghee/butter in the batter, I never find it necessary to re-grease my pan after the inital time.  Because the pan in the beginning will be "over greased," the first one or two crepes don't spread and come out well, but enjoy them as they are for the cook and though not perfect, definitely delicious.   

Enjoy!

Layered Crespelle with Bolognese, Fresh Mozzarella & Basil

Mary from One Perfect Bite started cooking her way through Gourmet’s list of the Top 50 Women Game Changers in Food and a number of other food bloggers have joined in on the weekly cooking and posting.  While I would love to learn more about these women who may have exerted the most influence over our food ways and cook some of their signature recipes, the commitment of once a week cooking and posting is more than I can organize myself to do so I happily read the posts of the other wonderful bloggers who are cooking and posting along with Mary.  A couple of weeks ago the ladies were cooking recipes of Marcella Hazan, number 6 on the top 50 list.  Over the years I have made numerous Marcella Hazan recipes and my freezer is never without her Simple Tomato, Butter & Onion Sauce* as it’s a great go-to sauce anytime I need it.

One of the blogs that I read is Girlichef and Heather has joined in on cooking her way through the Top 50 list.  For Marcella Hazan  Heather prepared a gorgeous Layered Crespelle (Crêpes) with Tomato, Prosciutto, and Cheese and after seeing the picture I knew that I had to make it…Well my version of it, of course. 

I am soooooo glad that I did make this as it was like lasagna gone high-end gourmet.  The crêpes were so delicate in both texture and taste, the best “pasta” I’ve ever had.  As I’ve become quite a pro at making crêpes lately and I used my homemade Bolognese sauce which I just pulled from the freezer and defrosted, this layered crespelle came together quite quickly and easily.  As there are just three of us and this Crespelle was far more than we could ever even think of eating in one meal I did worry about how it would hold up after the first night.  Thankfully there was no need to worry as individual servings reheated beautifully in the microwave and it was just as wonderful both taste and texture wise after being reheated.  Because I allowed it to rest properly, it cut beautifully so all the slices were gorgeous.  I’m thinking that this along with a nice salad would be fabulous to serve when entertaining guests.  I WILL be making this again…Delish!

I think that I’m on a crêpe kick.  Between my 24-Layer Crêpe Cake this Crespelle and my recent Nutella Crêpes, I’m in crêpe heaven but that’s okay as we LOVE crêpes.

This was like gourmet lasagna.  The crêpes were tender and delicious.

Making crêpes really is easy once you get your pan going and at the right temperature.  The first crêpe or two are always very buttery and not always the best looking but I’ll let you in on a secret, they’re super yummy from all that extra butter and a perfect little treat for the cook.  Hey sampling is important as I want the taste to be perfect.

You know that it’s time to flip the crêpe when the top looks dry and the edges are golden and begin to curl.

Once all the crêpes are made, gather the ingredients, the crêpes, Bolognese sauce (mine was homemade that I pulled from my freezer stash), fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and Parmesan. On a foil lined pan (foil makes clean up oh-so easy) start with a crêpe and top with a thin layer of sauce, some mozzarella, basil & Parmesan and repeat the process until all the crêpes have been used.

Ready to go into the oven. I ended up with 12 layers just because that’s how many crêpes were available after the cook’s portion and Maisie’s taste testing.

Hot from the oven.  Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes before carefully moving to a serving platter.  I wish that you could smell this, DELISH!!!

Layered Crespelle with Bolognese, Fresh Mozzarella & Basil (Adapted from here)

1 c milk
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 eggs
couple pinches salt
butter, for pan

1 1/2 lbs. Bolognese sauce (I used homemade but use what you like)
10 oz. fresh mozzarella, diced
fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped or ripped

Add the milk, flour, eggs and salt to a blender and process until smooth.  Cover and refrigerate for one hour to allow the batter to rest. 

Heat  a 9" crêpe pan (or whatever you have) over medium heat.  Add a small amount of butter and swirl it around to coat the pan.  Pour a scant 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the pan. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry and the edges are golden and start to curl.  Flip and cook 5-10 seconds longer. Remove to a cutting board. Repeat with remaining batter, adding butter to skillet as needed. When cool, crêpes may be stacked with or without waxed paper in between.

Preheat oven to 400° F.  On a foil lined pan (foil makes clean up oh-so easy) start with a crêpe and top with a thin layer of sauce, some mozzarella, basil & Parmesan.  Repeat the process until all the crêpes have been used and finish the top crêpe with a very thin layer of sauce, nice small whole basil leaves and dots of fresh mozzarella.

Bake uncovered on the top rack for 15 minutes. Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes before carefully moving to a serving platter using spatulas to help lift and guide the "pie".  Serve hot or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

I actually made this a few weeks ago but never got around to posting the recipe.  Here is my Layered Crespelle with my 24-Layer Crêpe Cake.  Yes I’ve been on a crêpe kick!  

* Marcella Hazan’s Simple Tomato Butter & Onion Sauce.  This recipe can be found all over the web but simply it’s: One 28 oz. canned whole peeled tomatoes, 5 tablespoons butter and 1 onion, peeled and cut in half.  Put everything in a pot and simmer for 45 minutes. Discard the onion and serve over pasta with Parmesan.

Nutella Crêpes

Yesterday was the big reveal day for our Secret Recipe Club group and on that day all the participants are excited to post not only what they made but to see what recipe was made from their blog.  See the rules of the club are, each month you are assigned a different participating food blogger and without telling them, you make one of their recipes of your choosing.  Then on a specified date everyone who is participating that month posts their recreation or version of the recipe they made.  It’s really a lot of fun.  Unfortunately one blogger didn’t hold up her end of the bargain and didn’t post a recipe from her assigned blog.  So as not to leave any cook behind, Amanda arranged for a number of Secret Recipe Club bloggers to come together and cook from Connor’s Cooking blog.  Thus, this special edition of The Secret Recipe Club.

Generally when I get my assignment I read, list, save and stress over which recipe to make but I have been a reader of Connor’s Cooking for many months and have already read though all the recipes so today I just scrolled through to see what would strike my fancy.  In the end it wasn’t *my* fancy that got to pick but my darling and always helpful little Maisie Miao Miao who decided what I would be making. 

Unfortunately because of gymnastics practice she wasn’t able to help me in the kitchen but she did enjoy the fruits of my labor.  

So what recipe did Maisie pick?  Well you obviously already know from the post title and seeing the pictures but Maisie chose crêpes and asked that they be filled with her favorite Nutella. 

As luck would have it, I had all the ingredients in the house so I set off to make Connor’s Cooking Basic Crêpes.  The batter came together easy in my blender and cooked up beautifully.  As you can tell, they were a hit with taste tester Maisie and everyone else.

Nutella Crêpes (adapted from here)

1 1/2 cups milk (I used 1 1/4 cup fat-free and 1/4 cup heavy cream as that’s what I had in the house)
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon Whey Low Granular or sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 teaspoons butter, melted plus more for pan

Nutella

Add the milk, eggs, flour, sugar, salt and 8 teaspoons of melted butter to a blender and process until smooth.  Cover and refrigerate the batter for one hour to allow it to rest.  Melt a small amount of butter in a crêpe pan or skillet over medium heat.  Pour a scant 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the pan. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry and the edges start to curl.  Flip and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a cutting board. Repeat with remaining batter, adding butter to skillet as needed. When cool, crêpes may be stacked with or without waxed paper in between.

When ready to serve, take a small amount of Nutella and using an offset spatula gently spread the Nutella over the entire surface of the crêpe and then either fold or roll.

If you’re like Maisie you pick them up with your fingers and enjoy.  If you’re more grown up you could make the crêpes fancy with fruit and cream or you could make my 24-Layer Crêpe Cake but now you see how we generally roll in this house.

Enjoy!

24-Layer Crêpe Cake

Do you ever see a recipe or a gorgeous food picture and though you would love to try it you just click away thinking, "Seriously, I'm never going to actually make that."   Well that's exactly what happened with this recipe on Katherine Martinelli’s blog. Katherine had guest blogger Jayne Georgette from Chocolates & Figs share her 23-Layer Crêpe Cake and the cake looked gorgeous and the back story about the cake was interesting but the recipe at first glance seemed long and involved and because it was a dessert, which we really don’t eat that often, I clicked away.  Had it been what I call a “practical” recipe, something that I could make and put on the table for dinner I probably wouldn’t have been so quick to dismiss it.  The picture haunted me though and I kept thinking about the cake.  So I went back, actually read instead of just scanning the recipe and realized that though the cake looked oh-so-fancy it was really nothing more than I've done many times in the past and even if it was something new I wouldn’t have had a problem as Jayne’s directions and pictures took me step-by-step though the entire recipe.  I make crêpes all.the.time…shoot I even have a pan, so I left a comment saying that the cake looked wonderful and that *maybe* I would attempt to make it. 

After actually reading the recipe I knew that there were a few changes that I wanted to make but for the most part I stayed true to the original recipe.  I used all three fillings as suggested, the almond, chocolate and the apricot but the original recipe had a bittersweet chocolate ganache which I changed.  I don’t particularly care for ganache and Eammon doesn’t enjoy bittersweet or dark chocolate so I instead made a milk chocolate glaze which worked wonderfully as it wasn’t too thick or overbearing and it set just enough to give the cake a shiny and polished finished look.

The flavors of the cake were wonderful, not very sweet but a beautiful mix of the almond, apricot and chocolate fillings with the vanilla bean and citrus coming through from the crêpe.  After making this cake once, I would definitely make it again as it really was simple to make all the components and layering and finishing took no time at all.  A very impressive, fancy looking and delicious cake, perfect for any occasion. 

Oh and why 24 layers?  Because that’s how many crêpes I ended up with (after Maisie and I taste-tested a couple topped with butter, lemon juice & powdered sugar) so I went with what I had.

24-Layer Crêpe Cake (Adapted from here)

Crêpes:
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 extra large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 TBS sugar
4 TBS sweet butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
Zest from 2 whole lemons

For the Crêpes:
Place all the ingredients in a food processor or a blender and process until thoroughly blended. You can do it by hand using a whisk, or even a fork. Strain the batter.

Transfer the strained batter into a pitcher and cover with a plastic wrap placed directly on the surface of the better.  Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Heat a 7-inch skillet over medium heat and lightly brush it with butter.  After the pan is hot, take the skillet off the heat and pour a scant 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet.  Immediately start tilting and rotating the pan in order to coat the entire bottom. (If the batter sets before the entire skillet is coated, reduce the heat slightly for the next crêpe.

Return the skillet to the burner and cook the crêpe until just set, when little bubbles appear on the surface and it appears golden around the edges, about 30 seconds. With an offset spatula loosen the edge of crêpe and then flip it over carefully. Cook until the underside is set, about 15 seconds.

Transfer the crêpe to a plate. Brush the skillet with more butter and make another crêpe in the same manner and continue until you finish the batter.

I layered the cooled crêpes one on top of another, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight.  I allowed them to “warm up” for 30 minutes the next day before I started assembling the cake and the crêpes separate easily.  The original recipe states that you could also separate crêpes with sheets of parchment, wax paper, or foil. (Crêpes can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator in a sealed container, separated by sheets of parchment, wax paper, or foil for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or at least 1 month in the freezer.)

Gather together the three fillings: 

1. 3 tablespoons cocoa powder mixed with 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
2. 4 tablespoons almond four mixed with 4 tablespoons confectioners sugar
3. Jam – your preference. I used apricot, heated slightly in the microwave to make it easier to spread

Preheat the oven to 325F. (I layered my cake on a plate but next time I will do it directly on a baking sheet.)  Place the crêpes one by one on the baking sheet, alternating the fillings on top of each crêpe.  Brush a bit of butter on those crêpes that are topped with either the cocoa powder or the ground nuts (not on the ones brushed with a jam) to assure that the cake will not be dry.

Cover the crêpe cake with aluminum foil and place it in oven. Bake for 30 minutes. While the crêpe cake is baking prepare the chocolate glaze.

For the Glaze:
3 1/2 oz. milk chocolate (I used a Godiva bar because it’s what I had in the house)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon light corn syrup

In a microwave safe measuring cup heat the cream.  Add the chocolate and corn syrup and stir to mix until smooth. 

Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes and then transfer the cake to your serving plate on which you have placed strips of parchment paper around the edge (so that the parchment can be removed later so to leave a clean plate and edge.)  Pour the warm glaze over the warm cake keeping the top smooth and trying to coat the sides of the cake.   Place the cake in the refrigerator to allow the glaze to set and harden. 

Once the glaze has set up and hardened, carefully slide the strips of parchment out from the cake. 

Slice, serve and impress!

Enjoy!