I’m back from Chicago and throwing savory crepes at you! Sorry for being MIA since Saturday. My work trip was busy busy but also fun! Chicago has some fantastic restaurants. I actually discovered a few recipe inspirations on my trip that I’ll be recreating and sharing in the coming weeks.
OH also, all the recipes next week may or may not be Mexican themed since Cinco de Mayo is on Friday. Wooooo. I finally got my shit together lol.
But for now, let’s talk about some crepes.
In my opinion, crepes seem super fancy because they are French, which makes people think that they are hard to make. This is 100% not true! They are easier to make than pancakes and have endless filling opportunities! Score.
Crepes basically taste like a super thin pancakes stuffed with whatever ingredients your little heart desires! I love how crepes have so much opportunity to create wonderful flavor combinations. I don’t know if other people have this problem but whenever I go to brunch I can never decide between savory or sweet!? It seriously feels like one of the hardest decisions of my life at that time. So dramatic, I know. Though, I’ve noticed that I generally end up picking savory because it will keep me fuller for longer especially in the morning (which may be filled with many mimosas). So for today, we are going with savory crepes!
We all know how much I love bacon, and sautéed leeks are just so buttery and delicious so stuffing them inside a thin, fluffy crepe with goat cheese and coconut cream seems like a no-brainer. Then we throw some insanely creamy and tangy, not to mention seriously easy hollandaise sauce on top and these crepes just scream BRUNCH.
Ready for brunch?! Yes please.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 tablespoons butter, browned
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 12 oz center cut bacon, diced
- 1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
- healthy pinch sea salt and black pepper
- 3 leeks, cut in half then sliced thinly
- 1 bunch spinach, stems removed and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup coconut cream (solid part)
- 4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2-4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (to taste)
Instructions
- Prepare crepe batter: Combine all crepe ingredients in a blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth and bubbles form on top (about 30 seconds). Transfer batter to a large bowl then cover with plastic wrap. Let batter sit in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Make the crepes: Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly coat with cooking spray or butter. Add 1/3 cup of batter to the skillet then swirl to completely cover the bottom of pan. Cook until underside of crepe is golden brown about 2-3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the edge of crepe then quickly flip it over. Cook about one minute more. Slide crepe out of skillet onto a cutting board or platter then repeat with remaining batter. Coat pan in between crepes as needed.
- Make the bacon and leek filling: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced bacon to the pan and cook until slightly crispy (about 10-12 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon leaving the bacon grease behind. Add diced sweet onion to the bacon greased skillet and top with a healthy dash of sea salt and pepper. Sauté onions for about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sliced leeks to the pan with the onions and cook for another 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally (or until leeks are soft and fragrant). Add spinach to the pan, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Remove lid, stir in coconut cream and goat cheese then cook until cheese is melted and sauce is hot (2-3 minutes). Add in cooked bacon and stir until combined. Remove skillet from heat but keep warm (cover with lid).
- Make the hollandaise sauce: In a small sauce pan over low heat, melt butter. Do not let it brown. Remove from heat once melted. Combine egg yolks, sea salt, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice (start with 2 tablespoons) in a blender and blend at a slow speed. Slowly drizzle the melted butter into the blender until it’s totally incorporated into the sauce and the sauce has thickened. Taste and add more lemon juice, sea salt, and/or cayenne pepper if needed. Transfer hollandaise sauce to a container and keep warm until crepes are ready.
- Fill and plate the crepes: Lay one crepe flat on a cutting board. Add about 1/4 cup of the bacon leek filling on top of the crepe close to one edge. Starting with the edge where the filling is, slowly roll up the crepe then place on a plate seem side down. Continue with remaining crepes. I placed two crepes on each plate then topped with a drizzle of hollandaise sauce and maybe a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.
- ENJOY.
To be honest guys, I wasn’t super thrilled how these photos turned out. You can’t really see the delicious filling! I need to work on my crepe presentation… Nonetheless, these crepes were light, crispy, and full of creamy savory flavor so I couldn’t not share them with y’all even though my photos aren’t perfect. You definitely need to make these for brunch this weekend!
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment or tag a photo #appetitesanonymous on instagram!! I’d love to see your crepes in action. Peace, friends!
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