Meatless Monday: Savory Caprese Crêpes

Crepes: I usually like mine with nutella and a little powdered sugar. Last week, I was inspired by 80 Breakfast’s recipe for chocolate-filled cinnamon sugar-crusted crepes (which, by the way, I highly recommend for dessert or brunch), but it got me thinking about how easy it would be to make a meal of savory crepes. You don’t really need any special equipment to make crepes—just a ladle and a frying pan. In terms of fillings, the sky’s the limit. For this post, I brainstormed ideas: should I make a spanikopita-inspired crepe, stuffed with feta and spinach, perhaps with a little tzatiki on the side? Or something more similar in style to a breakfast burrito, with scrambled eggs, mushrooms, and onions?

I settled on a caprese salad: mozzarella, basil, and sliced tomato. Be still, my beating heart.

I whipped up the crepe batter, which literally took me around six and a half minutes. We’re talking easy, folks.  I whisked the ingredients (flour, milk, eggs, a little salt) together and then let the finished product sit overnight in my fridge. If you don’t want to let it stand overnight, I do recommend at least 20 minutes—in which time you can prep your filling.

Click through for the batter recipe:

Basic Savory Crêpe Batter

I picked out some gorgeous late-summer tomatoes on the vine, organic basil, and fresh mozzarella balls (I’m a fanatic). If you’re using fresh mozzarella, I suggest letting it drain on paper towels for a while, lest it soak through your crepe.

More prep: slice the tomatoes as thin as you can. Cut the mozzarella into medallions. Tear up the basil.

I poured my crepe batter on a pancake griddle, but a large frying pan would work just as well. I used the ladle to distribute the batter evenly, and let the crepe cook on high heat until golden brown. If you're making a large batch of crepes, put the finished ones on wax paper until all your batter is used up (the wax paper will keep them from getting soggy or sticking together).

Flipping crepes is a little tricky—use a combination of a spatula and your fingers to wrestle it onto its other side. Don’t panic if it folds, just readjust.

Once your finished crepes have cooled a little, distribute the mozzarella, tomato, and basil over half of the crepe. Salt and pepper to taste. Fold in half, then fold in half again to make a triangle with two layers of delicious filling. I chose to brush melted butter on both sides of the crepe, and then I popped it back on the griddle on low heat to warm the filling.

The result? Great success. The mozzarella was soft and warm but not gooey, and the tomato and basil were just right. A thought: next time I try this recipe, I want to add some herbs to the batter!

Do you have a favorite savory crepe recipe? Can you articulate the magic of how to execute a flawless crepe flip? Let us know in the comments!

--Anneka Gerhardt, Foodista staffer