This is based on a recipe for the luxurious filled crepe-like pancakes my mother Sofie used to make back in Lithuania. She used all white flour, which was considered to be much more sophisticated than whole grain "peasant" flour. Her recipe also called for many more eggs and a lot more fat.
My lightened up version of Sofie’s recipe is a painless way to serve and eat healthy vegetables. Stuff them with cooked veggies, and they’re a lovely entree for a vegetarian meal. Add a sweet filling, and you’ve also got dessert! You can also use these to make wraps, though you may need a knife and fork if you overfill them - these little wrappers are thin and light!
Even though making the pancakes is a little bit of work, it’s quicker than you think. And you can make everything ahead of time. Make sure you warm these pancakes gently before you fill them.
When it comes to fillings, the sky is the limit. Use any combination of herbs or cheese that strike your fancy. My personal favorite is Brocolli Filling, a lighter version of the filling my mother used to make. For dessert, try fresh fruit, berry jam, ice cream, whipped cream laced with Grand Marnier, or shaved chocolate as shown in the picture.
But please, do NOT stack these melt-in-your-mouth pancakes on top of each other while they’re hot. They’ll stick together and make a hideous mess! If you want to make them ahead of time, cool each one on a dish towel as described in the recipe. Then you can stack them, separated with clear plastic wrap. Wrap the whole stack in foil and refrigerate.
I don’t call these pancakes “crepes” because they are less eggy. The whole-wheat flour gives them a different flavor. Click here to learn the swirl technique of cooking these pancakes. Give it a shot, because the method is fairly easy, and once you master it, you can cook up a batch of these delectable little wrappers in about 15 minutes.
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, beaten with fork
- 1 tablespoon butter (melted)
- 1 cup milk (any kind, even skim is fine)
- Oil for cooking (such as canola, sunflower, or safflower)
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, salt, egg, butter, and milk. Mix gently with a fork until well blended, with very few lumps. Cover, then let the batter rest for 1 hour at modest room temperature. (Of course, if it’s really hot in your kitchen, refrigerate the batter for 30-40 minutes, then take it out for about 15-20 minutes before cooking.)
Heat an 8 inch flared skillet (the bottom surface are is usually about 6 inches). Preheat the pan on the medium high setting, brush it with a little bland oil, like canola oil. When the oil is good and hot, put in 1/4 cup of batter and swirl to cover bottom of the pan.
Cook until lightly browned then flip over and cook the other side. The oil will dry up quickly, so brush the pan with more oil after each pancake. I like to put the oil in small cup, then use a pastry brush to oil the inside of the skillet as needed. You’ll find the cooking goes very fast. And do not walk away to do other things - your pancakes will burn!
Put a clean dish towel on the counter, then slide the pancake out of the skillet on to the towel. Cover lightly with foil (don’t seal the foil, just lay it on top). Re-oil your skillet and repeat until you’ve finished up the batter. Then fill and roll as directed in my Brocolli Filling recipe.
Makes 6-8 pancakes, easily doubled or tripled
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