Recipe: Buckwheat Crepes

This recipe is from Martha Shulman and was published in the New York Times, it was brought to my attention by @Schedulicity on Twitter.  I’ve come across a lot of recipes I want to try from people’s Twitter posts.  Don’t forget to follow us if you are on Twitter: @ItalianCooking.

I love the buckwheat pasta in Italy used for Pizzoccheri so I wanted to give these a try.  They are great!  The flavor is nice and nutty and the perfect backdrop for so many flavor combinations.  This time I put Fra Mani Classic Italian Sausage, local chard, and a besciamella sauce in them – they made a great dinner.  I think they would be really nice with berries or jelly for a breakfast preparation.  I also want to cut them into stands and treat them like a quick pasta noddle and make a version of the classic Pizzoccheri (Fontina, potatoes, cabbage, and lots of butter).  But I’ll have to wait until next winter for that combination as it is super rich dish.

Buckwheat Crepes

1 cup milk
1/3 cup water
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
3 tablespoons canola oil [I used Grapeseed oil]

1. Place the milk, water, eggs and salt in a blender. Cover the blender, and turn on at low speed. Add the flours, then the canola oil, and increase the speed to high. Blend for one minute. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for one to two hours.

2. Place a seasoned 7- or 8-inch crêpe pan over medium heat. Brush with butter or oil, and when the pan is hot, remove from the heat and ladle in about 3 tablespoons batter. Tilt or swirl the pan to distribute the batter evenly, and return to the heat. Cook for about one minute, until you can easily loosen the edges with a spatula. Turn and cook on the other side for 30 seconds. Turn onto a plate. Continue until all of the batter is used.

Yield: About 12 8-inch crêpes

Advance preparation: These freeze well for several weeks. Stack them between pieces of wax paper or parchment, and wrap airtight before freezing. You can make and refrigerate them up to a day ahead of serving.