Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Low fat Crepes...Bon Appetit!

The mention of crepes makes me drool. I think of all the cream, all the butter, IHOP and other such gooey images creep into my head. Creeping crepes? :D Sorry, I couldn't resist that alliterative joke. However bad it was. So, ya, getting back to crepes. A and I love crepes. Every time I order a crepe at a restaurant, I usually tell myself that I'm more of a savory crepe person and I cannot handle all the cream and the syrupy sweet crepes. But then, once I eat the savory crepes and start people-watching and gossiping about random people in the restaurant, I realize everyone else has a sweet crepe and that I need dessert to round off the meal. So, I end up ordering a sweet crepe. Now, you know why I have to be on a diet? Sigh.

Now, obviously, you didn't come here to read about my fascination with dessert and about how I plot to make sure I get the best of both crepes. We had crepes for dinner today. We made crepes because we wanted to send it along to A.W.E.D - France event. Ya, we are like that :P

While I sulked that we didn't have berries, so there couldn't be crepes, A, the patient, the calm and the experimental one between the both of us tried a savory crepe. He made a simple potato-mushroom curry or stuffing while I continued to figure out a plot in my head to have a sweet crepe. This is how he claims he rustled up the absolutely amazing crepes and the stuffing! We topped it with some barbeque sauce and it was heaven, indeed.



Ingredients

For the Crepes

2 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 tbsp butter (melted)
a pinch of salt




For the filling

2 medium potatoes, diced.
1/2 cup chopped french beans
8 oz mushrooms (we used canned)
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp ground sage
red chili flakes and salt to taste

First, let's make the crepe batter since it has to 'sit' for half hour. Mix all the ingredients well in a blender. Pour it in a bowl and let sit in the refrigerator for 30 mins.

1. Heat one tbsp oil in a skillet. Add the potatoes and stir well to coat with oil. Add the onions and the mushrooms.

2. Add the remaining tbsp of oil. Stir until the onions are translucent. Then add the beans.

3. Add the spices. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are tender but they shouldn't fall apart.

4. To make the crepes, heat a non-stick skillet. When hot, pour some batter and spread it by turning the skillet to make a nice circle. Cook for about a minute, flip it and cook for another minute.

5. To assemble, put the filling on one end of the crepe and roll it. You can top it with sauce or sprinkle some other spice on top of it. Or even rub some butter to make it glisten. We didn't. Didn't I say low-fat at the top? Easy-peasy, filling and may I say, a very French meal was had ;)



But of course, I ended the meal with some leftover Rasmalai and some chocolate cookies. What did ya think? I'd not eat dessert? But then, some sweet crepes'd have been perfect no?

*stops writing, wanders into kitchen thinking fruit instead of sweet crepe*

*After 5 minutes, comes out with a plate :D *


Just before hitting 'publish,' this is what I turned up with ;)

38 comments:

amna said...

hahaha so cool! :D I love the look of those mushrooms. But tell me, are canned stuff bad for health or something? I don't know where I got that idea but this is so much more convenient and stays longer.

Anonymous said...

both the versions look yummy... u write well.. was smiling after reading the post :)

Cham said...

Seems Mr. A and MMe.N went to Paris for dinner! Savory crepes, is usually "Bretons" (they call galette) and they re unhappy if other says savory galettes :( I love savory most, but in Paris, U find most sweet crepe with nutella spread. If u re chocol try it! Both version looks delicous and perfect!

Indian Khana said...

Umm looks yum...infact I liked the sweet one better ;)...

lubnakarim06 said...

Droooooooooooooooooooooling.......Wow simply scrummy.

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

did u make those crepes?? my godd!! looks terrific.. very soft. shall i grab some?

Daily Meals said...

Nice pictures...Crepesoveye
look tempting...

Daily Meals said...

Sorry about the typo error...

Sig said...

LOL :) Good job with those crepes, look perfect! I too prefer savoury crepes, but I always go "creping" with some friends who absolutely must try sweet ones, so I end up sharing a sweet one at the end.

Anonymous said...

I like savory one stoo, but when i am smelling all the syrup & seeing the fruits, I do have the inclination to creep towards the crepes which whould actually be desserts:-)

These were really really neat!! both of these. love the mushroom alu filling.

FH said...

Gorgoeus! French Crepes (Maida dosai) and Indian style bhaji, what more could you want! Perfect fusion! Dessert rocks too! :))

Ranjani said...

I heart crepes!
But mine never come our right...so I've stopped trying to make them. Hoping to be fed these soon...very soon!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

What delightful crêpes! I'd have one of each, please...

Cheers,

Rosa

AnuSriram said...

Looks lovely! Nice presentation..

Deeba PAB said...

Love the crepes...beautiful, and am glad there was yummt desert to follow! WAY TO GO!!

The Caked Crusader said...

Relieved to hear there was also dessert!
Question: would they still be healthy if I covered them with chocolate sauce?

suvi said...

Love love love crepes...but I am a sweet crepe gal. Anyday. delighted to see the last pic :)

veggie belly said...

i love these savory crepes!

Deepthi Shankar said...

I have always loved savory crepes .. But I never got my hands on the savory version in Paris .. this one looks yumm

Trupti said...

both crepes looks very delicious. Can I have potato feeling crepes right now as it's lunch time here ? :)

Laavanya said...

The crepes look so perfect! I'm like you and prefer savoury crepes but in most places that ends up being a non-veg version so end up eating sweet ones. Have you tried crepes with nutella and banana/strawberry with powdered sugar on top? Pretty good :) I like your fruit filling too.

Priya Sriram said...

Low fat and terrific looking crepes! This is what I'm looking for! Good one A&N!

Dershana said...

I love the ingredients that went into making that yummy looking filling!

Dori said...

I'm not much into crepes, but your pictures are making me want to try yours!

Deepa Hari said...

Nice one...love both the versions...absolutely delicious...you are making me drool.

Dibs said...

hey Your crepes look great . I've been eyeing the savoury crepes made at the mexican joint in the food court nearby. They have a gadget that pours out the batter and spreads it as well! Its filled with salsa, sour cream, advocado, salads, beans and what not. too ...only the egg turns me off. Gotto to try this eggless... wonder if I will land up with a maida dosa as Asha says?!!

Sum Raj said...

this sounds interesting..give surly give a try..

Bharti said...

How CAN one stop at a savory crepe?! LOl..both versions looks great.

Aparna Inguva said...

Mmm.. the creeps look gorge worthy... I cannot Not end a meal r with a sugar fix. love both versions.

Usha said...

Both versions of the crepes look delightful !

bee said...

crepe meets masala dosa. what's not to like?

Raaga said...

I love crepes... with mushrooms :)

A_and_N said...

@ Nags: Thats a great question :) Honestly, it depends on whats in the can. I was surprised to see respected chefs like Mario Batali openly use canned tomatoes for their marinara sauces. But the key is whats in the can and how is it canned. For instance, canned fruits usually do not have preservatives. They are processed 'naturally' by eliminating enzymes that cause the fruits to go sour. It doesnt take away the nutrients. On the other hand, when you start canning meat and fish, thats where the likelihood of things getting nasty increase dramatically. Since this is a reply to a post, I'll stop right here. I might write a post on this in future :)

@ Indhu: Yes, N is certainly the funnier out of the two of us :)

@ Cham: I am already envious of you if you've actually been to Paris and had crepes there :)

@ Priti: N concurs!

@ Kitchen Flavors: Thanks a ton :)

@ Mahimaa's kitchen: I wish there were a technology for that to happen! I'd be all over these daring bakers' pictures :D

@ Daily Meals: Thanks....and yes, they were hard to resist!

@ Sig: Thats the good thing about going out with friends. You get to sample the whole menu without having to order everything yourself :)

@ Soma: Tell me about it! The aroma (and the whipped cream toppings) are the reasons I also end up falling for sweet ones :)

@ Asha: The bhaji had a more Italian flavor to it, but I totally concur with the idea of fusion :)

@ Ranjani: you know the contact info. Feel free to come anytime :)

@ Rosa: Well, I'd be happy to give you the crepes. But I'll have to ask for something in return. Let me go through the daring bakers challenges on your blog and I'll get back to you soon :)

@ Anu Sriram: Thank you so much :)

@ Deeba: Thank you, thank you :)

@ Caked Crusader: N says YES even without thinking....and I concur :) At least we can convince ourselves rather easily that chocolate crepes could be healthy :) Its chocolate...so anything goes!

@ Aquadaze: N is smiling with each vote for sweet crepes :)

@ Veggie Belly: Absolutely! Thanks for stopping by.

@ Deesha: Once again, I am quite envious of the fact that you've been to Paris :)

@ Trupti: Yes please...go right ahead :)

@ Laavanya: Well, as long as you dont mind handling eggs, these are fairly easy to make at home. And you can choose what you want to stuff in your crepes. And the amount of stuffing! Think abt it :)

@ Priya Sriram: Thanks a ton for stopping by :)

@ Dershana: Thanks :) They were indeed flavorful.

@ Meeso: Oh you should certainly try them out. We have become suckers for crepes ever since we made them :)

@ Deepa Hari: Well, you could start off with IHOP's crepes, but close to Salt Lake City, there is a place called Provo where there is a Maestro's Gelato Cafe. One of my friends recommends it....for the gelatos. But I am sure they serve Crepes too :)

@ Dibs: Thanks :) I am not sure if you can make it eggless because without the eggs, they wouldnt be as fluffy and 'light'. But worth a try, I guess :)

@ Suma Rajesh: Thanks!

@ Bharti: EXACTLY!

@ Aparna Inguva: Welcome to my world! I also have to have something sweet after every meal :)

@ Usha: Thanks a lot :)

@ Bee: I totally agree.

@ Raaga: Glad to have another mushroom lover :)

TBC said...

I'm more of a savory person too ( especially for BF) though I don't mind the occasional sweet crepe. I tried one with Nutella the other day.. it was so good.
I like your stuffing here...sounds good.:)

PG said...

wow! lovely! love that last picture!

A_and_N said...

@TBC: I love your lemon-butter crepes. They are the best! I love nutella too. I'm avoiding them coz I over eat if I eat one spoonful :(

@PG: Thanks :)

Grace said...

thanks for sharing this. my family will surelly love this. my kids so love bananas.

Juniper Scott said...

I just loved reading this yummy post. Bon appetit meaning: The French phrase is used to wish someone before they start eating a meal, to tell them you hope they enjoy their food, but one shouldn't be wishing guests "bon appétit" before they dig in.

Thanks,
Juniper, UK