Gluten Free Honey and Lemon Crepes

My motto every time I am in Paris? “A crepe a day keeps snout happy and gay”

I have to admit, every time I am there, I find it very hard to resist sneaking into a creperie to partake of my secret guilty pleasure (which is not so secret any more). I mean people make culinary pilgrimages for the food! It is THE street food in Paris. And as they say, “When in Rome”. Well…you get my drift. I just can’t pass 100 people on the street with their snouts smeared with Nutella and banana and not stick mine in the trough that makes everybody else so happy?

In the gluten free world, there is always the question: "What are you willing to endure a stomach ache for?" For my friend Jad, it is a really good croissant. For me, it will always be my beloved crepe. I LOVE lemon crepes!

But my stomach always preaches a different motto….”Wheat and sugar on a Paris day sends my sensitive stomach to pray” all the way to the toilet and back. After many a regretful afternoon spent lying on a patch of Parisian grass next to a ubiquitous dog turd (have you ever noticed how much dog pooh there is lying around in Paris?), and nights paying homage to the toilet bowl, I have succumbed to the sad reality that “wheat and sugar crepes” and me are not meant to be; and I will have to find a different love to share Paris with. Suffice it to say, this realization has led me on a crusade, to find some gluten free crepes that I can share a life with.

Now getting the batter right was pretty easy. It was perfecting my gluten free crepe flipping technique that proved to be more of a challenge. I mean, let’s face it, any self-respecting crepe lover knows that the consistency and texture of the crepe (not limp and soggy), and the ratio of filling to crepe, is absolutely critical for that taste climax that we all know and love. For me, the crepes also have to have the right colour. I like my gluten-free crepes pale, with just a hint of bronze. Then, the crepes love anything they come into contact with! It is kind of like making the perfect pale vegetarian omelette that is “just cooked inside”, but not burnt on the outside.

The secret to making perfect gluten free crepes? In my experience, keep the heat low and be patient! Cook each crepe slowly with love (they really don’t take that long), and grease the pan in between each flip! I wish I could have told my mum this 30 years ago! She bought this electric crepe maker back in the 70’s after a trip a family trip to France, when I first fell in love. Needless to say, this was not a love affair that lasted! This crepe maker was just too high maintenance. You had to precariously slide this thing that looked like a metal detector in the batter, then turn it up, and then take a spatula and curl up the sides and flip it. I suppose it was designed to replicate the traditional technique used by the street vendors and creperies, but it just didn’t work for us! Maybe somebody has a success story with one of those crepe makers. But I haven’t seen them for sale in the last 20 years, so I am guessing not! More of the crepe batter landed all over the bench, my clothes, and that sad (dare I say it) useless contraption!

I never did make the perfect gluten-free crepe with that thing. So I turned to my trusty crepe pan. In a perfect love story, I would have one of those big round crepe tablets centre stage in the middle of my kitchen. OK mum, so you are reading this thinking that I am overstating my love of all things crepe just a tad? But you know, in my world, there is always room for one more kitchen gadget! Thankfully, I have spent many a moment massaging my snout and tummy standing in front of the crepe stand preparing for a slice of piggy heaven. Have you ever watched one of those people whip up crepes? I don’t know about you, but in my mind, it is art. Crepe making one of those things that you can perfect with practice and that is not all that difficult……once you know how!

I was in Sedona last week, watching a girl roll and turn fudge, and it was absolutely mesmerizing. She assured me it was really easy, and that she had not been doing it a long time. But a whole half an hour had passed before I realized I was utterly hypnotized (just like the crepes) by the ritual of making something that I absolutely knew was bad for me! OK, so a thin little batch of lemon crepes is not even in the same vicinity of toxic as a tiny morsel of that revolting caramelized sugar (sorry for you fudge lovers, but there is my opinion on that!) but it is not like me to dip into the gluten, refined sugar-infested trough! But back to these lemon crepes.

Today I present these simple gluten free crepes that keep my snout and my stomach in the same love story.......all over the world. Now these are not the most exotic lemon crepes in the world; but once again, like so many of my quick and easy recipes, are a great blank canvas with which to create gluten free magic with. These gluten-free crepes have a great neutral flavour that lend themselves beautifully to fruit, chocolate, vegetables. Whatever your heart’s desire. These lemon crepes are gluten free, dairy free, nut free, soy free and refined sugar free. If you are looking for allergy free recipes this one is a winner. I have other fantastic easy crepe recipes that use other gluten free flour combinations. Those recipes yield crepes of a different personality. But these lemon crepes are the most malleable, and most closely resemble my long lost love I left in Paris.

I could regretfully say, “We’ll always have Paris”. But thankfully I don’t have to! Fall in love with these gluten free crepes. They are piggilicious.