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Sunday, February 5, 2012

Winter Crepe Duo

Blogging from a train. Technology these days, huh?

I'm a big fan of Lauren Ulm's Vegan YumYum blog and cookbook, and I recently decided to do a spin-off of her Spring Crepes Three Ways with some wintery crepes. The first is a roasted vegetable crepe with  a balsamic reduction sauce and the second a caramel apple crepe. 


I still used her basic crepe recipe, it works just fine for me. I just whipped up one recipe, used the first half for the savory crepe, then added a teaspoon of vanilla and some sugar for the dessert crepes. Easy as pie (er, I mean, crepes...). 

Roasted Vegetable Crepes

Filling
1 potato, sliced thinly lengthwise then cut in half
6 carrots, peeled and chopped into thick matchsticks
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
2 T. olive oil
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 t. dried thyme
1 T. fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste


Balsamic Glaze
1 cup balsamic vinegar
3 T. brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a kitchen knife
1 large sprig rosemary
2 T. Earth Balance
1 T. olive oil


Preheat your oven to 400°F. Toss the potatoes and carrots with the olive oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, thyme, rosemary, and salt and pepper and roast for 20-30 minutes. Add the onion, mushroom, and the rest of the balsamic and roast another 20 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.


For the glaze, bring the vinegar, sugar, garlic, and rosemary to a simmer in a small saucepan for about 20 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by at least half. Remove from heat and remove garlic and rosemary. Stir in the Earth Balance and olive oil. Your sauce should be sticky at this point, but enough to create a nice drizzle. As it cools it may become too thick, in which case you should reheat it.


For assembly, while your crepe is cooking (or heating up again), transfer a few spoonfuls of your filling into the center. Fold the first third over, spoon some balsamic sauce onto that as a "glue", then fold the other third over. Drizzle more sauce and serve with baby arugula.


Caramel Apple Crepes


Filling
3 apples, peeled and cut into thin slices

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 T. earth balance
2 T. brown sguar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. cloves

Caramel Sauce
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup Earth Balance
2 T. soy milk
1 t. vanilla extract


Starting with the caramel, stir the Earth Balance and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for about five minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the soy milk and vanilla. If you find the caramel is too thick or too thin, either add more earth balance to thin or bring back to a rolling boil for 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool.


Melt the earth balance over medium heat in a saucepan. Add apples, pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Saute until fragrant and apples are tender, then add 1/2 cup of your caramel sauce and cook for two minutes longer. Remove from heat.


To assemble, place a few tablespoons of apple filling onto a crepe. Fold into thirds and drizzle with more caramel sauce. Service with soy vanilla ice cream for a special treat!


I also made some chocolate crepes (with a touch of caramel).



Cupcakes

Cupcakes are the best. Right? Right.