I’m trying to catalog the recipes I use most as a means of organizing myself, so I’m typing up all my go-to recipes, and hopefully someone else will enjoy them as well. I make this recipe about once a week for breakfast, and serve them with Nutella, maple syrup, jam, powdered sugar and lemon juice, homemade blueberry sauce, or lemon curd and sour cream (my favorite). The batter mixes quickly, but then takes about 20 minutes to cook. If you don’t have nonstick skillets, simply spray your skillets with cooking spray or a place a dab of butter in each to prevent sticking, about every 5 crepes or so. This recipe was adapted from The Best International Recipe.

Our Favorite Crepes

Heat two nonstick skillets over medium-high heat while preparing the ingredients.

Combine in a blender:
2 1/8 c. warm water
1/2 c. powdered milk (or 1 1/2 c. warm milk and 1/2 c. + 2 T. water and omit warm water above)
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (you can substitute 1/2 c. of it for wheat flour, it desired)
3 T. sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/4  t. salt (can do up to 1/2 t. salt, if desired)
5 T. butter, melted (I melt this in one of the skillets as I assemble the other ingredients)

Blend until the mixture is perfectly smooth. Pour approximately 2 T. of batter in each hot skillet, swirling to make sure it evenly coats the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 30 seconds, or until the edges have browned. Using a flat spatula, loosen the sides of the crepes, and then tip onto a plate. Repeat. If crepes are browning too quickly, turn down the heat. (One of my skillets cooks the crepes well at medium-high heat, while the other does better with medium heat!?!)

Quick Homemade Blueberry Sauce

1/3 c. water
2 c. frozen blueberries
2 T. sugar or agave
1 t. cornstarch
squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Once boiling, add the blueberries and the sugar. Once the mixture boils, turn down the heat to a simmer, and cook another 5 minutes, until the mixture is saucy. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 1 t. water, and mix well to combine completely. Add the cornstarch to the blueberries and stir until combined and thickened. Remove from heat, squeeze in the lemon juice, if using, and serve. [If you do this before you start cooking the crepes, it’s ready to serve at the same time the crepes are done.]

I got this off a vegetarian website whose url I’ve since lost. But there was a vegan variant on there if you’re interested. They turned out great–the best oatmeal pancakes I think I’ve ever had.

• 1 ½ cups rolled oats
• 2 cups milk or soy milk
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. each brown sugar and baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup butter, melted

To make low-fat pancakes:

• Substitute 4 egg whites for whole eggs
• Substitute half or all the butter with unsweetened applesauce
• Serve with low-sugar maple-flavoured syrup, low-sugar jam, or applesauce

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, blend together oats and milk and let stand 5 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together white flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

3. To the oat mixture, add the eggs, butter, and the large bowl of dry ingredients.

4. To make pancakes, use approximately ¼ cup batter per pancake. Cook over medium-high heat on a grill or lightly-oiled frying pan.

Food Network – Emeril Lagasse, 2000

For a lemon lover like myself, this is the perfect pancake.  I also revamped the recipe some by using all whole-wheat flour with a bit of extra baking powder for fluff and adding blueberries to each pancake while being cooked. (Good with maple syrup, even.)  Mmmmm!

Ingredients

• 1 pint fresh blueberries, stemmed and hulled
• 2 cups light corn syrup
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest, finely chopped
• 1/2 stick butter, cut into 10 equal slices
• Shaker confectioners’ sugar

Directions

In a nonreactive saucepan, over medium heat, combine the blueberries and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and with a hand potato masher, mash the berries. Keep warm.

In a small mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg, and butter until fully incorporated. Add the sifted ingredients to the milk mixture and whisk until it is slightly smooth, but still has some lumps. Fold in the lemon zest and allow the batter to sit for a couple of minutes. Lightly grease a griddle over medium heat. Cooking in batches, pour 1/4 cup of the batter onto the hot griddle for each pancake. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the batter bubbles and is golden brown, flip over and continue to cook until golden brown. Repeat the above process with the remaining batter. Stack the pancakes on each serving plate. Place a pat of butter between each layer. Drizzle the pancakes with the syrup and garnish with the confectioners’ sugar.

I have long had a love-affair with the smell and taste of fresh lemons and this recipe is no exception to that affair.  I purposefully buy lemons so I can make these pancakes and request them on all my special days (bday, Mother’s Day, Wednesdays . . . ) I hope you enjoy them, too!

Lemon Curd Pancakes

6 large eggs, separated

6 Tbsp melted butter

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese

Juice from one lemon

Zest from one lemon

5 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup flour

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Set aside.   In separate bowl, combine egg yolks, butter, and cottage cheese. (Note: You can gently blend up the cottage cheese if you prefer a smoother consistency.)   Add lemon juice and zest.  In small bowl, combine sugar, salt and flour. Add to batter.  Gently fold in egg whites until completely incorporated.    Cook on preheated griddle, prepared with cooking spray, until brown on both sides.  Eat plain or with maple syrup.   

These store pretty well in the fridge if wrapped well.  We’ve taken them with us as snacks on hikes or long car rides.  They have a lot of protein and are very filling.

I needed to do something fast but festive for Father’s Day breakfast, so I tried this recipe and it’s a knockout. The french toast ends up tasting a bit like a really good danish, and well, that’s a good enough recommendation for me. So, if you’re needing something for your next brunch, here’s a great idea.

Stuffed French Toast

Filling:
6 oz. cream cheese, softened (you can do this in the microwave for 25-30 seconds at low power, if necessary)
3 T. sugar
1/4 t. cinnamon

French Toast:
8 slices good quality sandwich bread or french bread, sliced
1 c. cold water
1 egg
1/2 c. flour
1 t. vanilla
4 T. butter

Combine cream cheese, sugar, and cinnamon for the filling in a small bowl, then spread it on the inside of two slices of bread, and then sandwich the two slices together.  In a pie plate, combine water, egg, flour, and vanilla and whisk together. Preheat a skillet or griddle to med/med-high and place 2 T. of the butter in the skillet. Dip the outsides of each sandwich in the egg mixture and place in the griddle, cooking until golden brown on each side. Repeat, using the remaining butter and french toast. Serve immediately with maple syrup or powdered sugar.

Note: you can add other things to the cream cheese mixture if you want. I sprinkled frozen blueberries on the top of the cream cheese mixture before I sandwiched the bread together. Adding jam or other berries directly into the mixture would also, I’m sure, be delicious.