November 16, 2010

Coconut Flour Crepes with Lemon Ricotta and Blackberries (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

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Coconut flour and I have not been on the best of terms lately. We were such good friends after my success with Chocolate Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream, but that was quite a while ago, and since then, we’ve hit some rough patches. The pumpkin fritter experiment was upsetting, but the chalky, dry coconut flour brownies were enough to test the mettle of even the best relationship. However, not being one who willingly concedes defeat, I grabbed the bull by the horns, I got back in the saddle, I (insert your own favourite cowboy metaphor here). I decided to make a coconut flour dish that I KNEW would work.

Well, okay, I decided to make a coconut flour dish that I was pretty sure would work. Fairly certain. About 80% certain, anyway. The idea was conceived out of one of those happy accidents in the kitchen quite some time ago. I’d been making pancakes for my kids and decided to make some low carb coconut flour ones for myself. The recipe said that the batter would be quite thick, but I didn’t trust it. I felt it was too thick, and I added some almond milk until it resembled the conventional pancake batter. When I put it into the pan, it spread out very thin, cooked quickly, and resembled a very small crepe. I added more coconut flour to my batter to get pancakes, but the crepey one was quite delicious as it was and the idea of making crepes with coconut flour has stayed with me.

Quite a few possibilities for fillings and toppins were floating around in my brain, some of them quite elaborate. But in the end, I decided to go with the classic lemon, and paired it with some blackberries I had on hand. Sweetened ricotta is an easy low carb dish and it pairs so well with lemon and berries. Besides, I still had a large tub of whole milk ricotta I needed to use up!

The Results Aside from being a little hard to flip, these crepes were wonderful! I ruined two completely in trying to turn them over, so I just ate the bits and pieces out of the pan, cursing all the while. But I managed to get three *almost* whole ones that I could then fill with lemon ricotta and top with berries. Once they had cooled somewhat, they were much easier to handle and rolling them up without breaking them wasn’t a problem. I ate one right then and there (after photos, of course!) and ate the other two for breakfast the next day. Delicious!

I may play with the ingredients and see if there is a way to get them to hold together better. Perhaps a little xanthan gum would help, or maybe I just need to be more careful. They do need to be kept rather small in size, compared to regular flour crepes, because the lack of gluten will always make them more friable than the conventional kind. Use a small 6 or 8 inch pan. But I could see making savoury dishes with these as well, I think there are so many possibilities with crepes.

Coconut Flour Crepes With Lemon Ricotta

Filling:
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
8-10 drops stevia extract
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest

Crepes:
1 egg
1 tbsp coconut oil or butter, melted
3 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp sifted coconut flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
additional butter or coconut oil for frying

For the filling, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

For the crepes, in a medium bowl, whisk together egg, coconut oil or butter, almond milk and salt. Add coconut flour and baking powder and stir in thoroughly until smooth and no lumps remain.

Heat oil or butter in a small 6 or 8-inch skillet. Pour one quarter of the batter into skillet and swirl quickly to cover the bottom of pan with a thin layer of batter.

Cook until edges are bubbly and cooked, and bottom is lightly browned. Carefully insert a spatula under the crepe and flip to the other side to cook. Remove from pan and let cool slightly on paper-towel lined plate.

Repeat three more times with the remaining batter.

Spoon 1/4 of filling down center of a crepe and roll up tightly. Repeat with remaining filling and crepes. Serve with your choice of fresh berries.

Makes 4 small crepes. Each crepe has a total of 4.5g of carbs, not including berries.

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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