Buttermilk Crepes with Ricotta and Vegetables

by Brenda Langton, Tastemaker in Residence— Recipe from Spoonriver Cookbook

This recipe doesn’t need a sauce. We prefer to dice a few tomatoes and sprinkle them with balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt for a light and colorful topping. This filling is versatile: try different vegetables like spinach, chard, asparagus, or broccoli. Olives or walnuts make a nice addition. Two crepes and a salad are a complete meal, or serve one crepe with a grain (try wild rice or quinoa) and a salad. 

// serves 4 with 2 crepes per serving

CREPE BATTER// 

Ingredients

3⁄4 cup buttermilk

3⁄4 cup milk

3 eggs

1⁄2 tablespoon honey

5 tablespoons butter, melted

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 cup whole wheat pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Instructions

Whisk together the buttermilk, milk, eggs, and honey.
Add the melted butter and salt, stirring to combine. Whisk in the flour.

Let the crepe batter rest a few hours in the fridge before using it. You can make the batter a day ahead.

Lightly oil a 9- to 10-inch nonstick pan. Heat the pan over medium heat until it is hot but not scorching. You may need to reheat the pan between crepes to maintain an even heat.

Ladle 1⁄4 cup, or a little less, of batter into the pan, swirling it to get an even light coating. When the crepe is lightly browned, flip it with a long flexible spatula. Flip each crepe once, cooking it only a few minutes on each side.

FILLING//

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup finely diced carrots or red bell peppers

2 cups diced leeks (white and green parts)

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

15 ounces ricotta cheese

Zest of half a lemon

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1⁄8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

To keep the crepes from sticking to each other, stack them on two plates, alternating the stack you add to, so a crepe hot off the pan isn’t on a still-warm crepe.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To make the filling, heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet and sauté the carrots, leeks, and mushrooms over high heat, stirring several times, until the carrots are tender, approximately 7 minutes.

Combine the sautéed vegetables, ricotta cheese, lemon zest, thyme, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Stir well to combine.

This is enough filling for 8 crepes. You can roll the filled crepes or fold them in quarters after placing filling on one quarter of the crepe. Place the filled crepes on a cookie sheet or in a ceramic baking dish. Bake for about 15 minutes, covered loosely.