Cook This: Rainbow Crepes.
It’s pancake day in March, which – in our opinion – gives carte blanche to eat them every day of the month. And you can do so almost guilt-free using this wholegrain, refined sugar-free recipe from our favourite north London healthy eating guru Emily Wright of The Wright Foodie.
She says: “I love crepes so much. Each year when I tuck into the culinary delight that is a loaded crepe, I promise myself I will make them weekly, and yet never do. I am a firm believer that just one topping is never enough. I need options, but I always finish the experience with a lemon and sugar one and view it as some sort of sophisticated palate cleanser – like they serve in fancy restaurants! A sort of dessert after dessert if you will. This year, I wanted to make a wholegrain and refined sugar-free version of all of the classics, but without compromising on taste of course. Enjoy!”
INGREDIENTS
For the crepes
115g wholegrain flour (I used spelt) | 1 egg | 285ml milk (I used unsweetened oat milk) | A pinch of salt | coconut oil or butter for frying | optional natural colourings 1/2 -1 tsp turmeric; 1/2 -1 tsp pitaya powder; 1/2 -1 tsp matcha powder; 1/2 -1 tsp butterfly pea flower powder
For the fillings
Note – the recipe makes 2 crepes per colour, so if you want more of one particular filling, just double or triple those ingredients.
Yellow
3 lemons | 3 tbsp maple syrup | 3 tbsp oat cream (or normal cream if preferred) | 1 tbsp tahini
Pink
50g good quality dark chocolate | 50g hazelnut butter | handful of flaked almonds | 1 banana
Green
Handful of marshmallows | handful of strawberries, sliced
Blue
Juice and zest of 5 blood oranges | 4 tbsp chia seeds | 1 tbsp coconut sugar | dark chocolate shavings
METHOD
For the crepes
1. Sift flour into a large bowl and make a well for the egg.
2. Starting in the middle, combine the egg and flour.
3. Slowly add the milk, a little at a time, and whisk together until all the lumps have gone.
4. Stir through a pinch of salt.
5. If you are making different colours, simply separate the pancake mixture into different bowls and add the natural coloured powders.
6. Once you are ready to start cooking, heat a tsp of coconut oil or butter in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.
7. Ladle in the crepe mixture and spread into a large circle.
8. Cook until starting to go golden on once side.
9. Flip over and cook the other side until golden too.
10. Put aside until fillings are ready.
For the fillings
Yellow
1. Griddle thin slices of 1 lemon until they start to brown on both sides. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, mix maple syrup, oat cream (I used Oatly) and tahini together.
3. Heat on a low heat for 5 mins and whisk together.
4. Squeeze juice from half a lemon onto one crepe, smother with maple cream and top with the griddled lemon slices.
Pink
1. Melt dark chocolate on a low setting in the microwave, checking every 30 seconds.
2. Once melted, add the hazelnut butter and heat on low for another minute, checking halfway through. Combine well.
3. Dry fry the flaked almonds in a clean frying pan (no oil) over a medium heat for a few minutes, constantly shaking the pan to make sure they don’t burn.
4. Carefully slice the banana in half lengthways and caramelise on a griddle pan over a medium heat until browning on one side.
5. When the crepe is ready, slice the banana, smother with the chocolate sauce and sprinkle with the almonds.
Green
1. Pierce the marshmallows with a metal skewer and toast on an open flame until golden (I used the flame from my gas hob).
2. Place several toasted marshmallows on the crepe, add the sliced strawberries and drizzle a little bit of the chocolate sauce used for your pink crepes.
Blue
1. Put the juice and zest from the blood oranges in a small, non-stick saucepan, along with chia seeds and coconut sugar. Mix well.
2. Heat slowly on a low heat for 10 minutes until a jam-like consistency has formed.
3. Add a couple of tbsps to the crepe and sprinkle with shaved dark chocolate.
To find out more about Emily’s services, and discover more delicious recipes, see thewrightfoodie.com