Buckwheat crêpes, featuring Jen's Jars

Crêpe basics 

Crêpe (pronounced with a hard e, as in "ep" like depths​ of flavor, not "ape" like in paper), is a French staple, resembling a thin pancake, and eaten throughout the day. When people think of crêpes, they often think of the all-purpose sort, made with eggs and dairy, feather-light and thin. However, crêpes did not start out with those ingredients. In fact, it started out using buckwheat flour, water, and salt.

That's it! They were originally gluten and egg - free ;) 

The original crêpe was made in Breton, in the Brittany region of France. When used in a savory dish, buckwheat crêpes take on a new name called a galette. 

I chose to embrace Breton's tradition and have a go at making three different versions, using buckwheat flour as my base. It's necessary to first try recipes as they were intended, so my first version included the three traditional ingredients: buckwheat, water, and salt. But I also wanted to play with the flavors to enhance and aerate the batter. The second version included 60 g egg and the third version, 60 g kombucha. 

(See recipes below and try them for yourself. Try one or all leave a comment saying which you preferred)

Crêpe innards 

The next question is: What do I put inside/on these beautiful buckwheat delicacies? 

Answer: I had a home delivery of Jen's Jars (check out the pics below), after getting to know Jen herself, so I knew exactly what I was going to use. She uses (mostly) Minnesota-grown, 100% plant-based ingredients in her products (and no preservatives!). I dove into the Easter basket for the raw cacao dark chocolate spread, first. I then tried a few using the spinach and pine nut pesto. 

I kept it simple the first time, using only fresh pear to accompany the raw cacao spread. I added a combination of fresh and dried cherries to the next batch. For a more savory approach, I made a round of galettes with some with the pesto, adding a tomato-and-beet salad, and another topped with gruyère cheese.

The possibilities are endless: It's been nearly a week, and I still have one pint of batter left. Each time it's different, and it's difficult to say which flavors I like best.... But why choose one when I can have them all?

buckwheat crépes, the recipe

Makes ~4 cups batter

Version #1 
Ingredients
​250 g buckwheat flour
750 ml water
8 g salt

Version #2
​Ingredients
​250 g buckwheat flour
690 ml water
60 g egg (1 whole egg)
8 g salt

Version #3
​Ingredients
​250 g buckwheat flour
690 ml water
60 g kombucha 
8 g salt

Butter for the coating the pan 

Directions: 
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat together until well combined. 
2. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. 
3. Remove from refrigerator for at least 1 hour before making the galettes/crêpes. 
4. Use a crêpe pan or non-stick pan and heat until it's hot. Wipe out the pan and add a bit of butter. Pour 2-3 ounces into the pan and use a wooden spreader to swirl the batter. Option to add more butter on top, cooking for roughly one minute. Top with filling of your choice and cook for another minute. Option to apply filling later as I did with some salads. Total cook time is about 3 minutes.