Authentic French Crepe - Veganized
Monday, January 28, 2008
Paris is a city that truly lives up to its reputation. It is beautiful, romantic and the food is fresh and fabulous. Hotels however have had a long time reputation for being small, expensive and often without private facilities. I haven't had trouble finding a hotel in Paris with private facilities. And because I am willing to spend a little more to have a large room and bath in a great location my only complaint is the lack of a hot plate.
Consequently nearly all of our meals have to be eaten out. Luckily there are places all over the city to buy fresh fruit and bread that can be taken back to your hotel and eaten for breakfast or as a light snack.
One thing that most tourists want to indulge in as soon as they walk off the plane is an authentic French chocolate crepe. Unfortunately for vegans, the crepes are made with milk and eggs and the chocolate filling is simply Nutella which is made with milk and whey. So, you may choose not to eat a chocolate crepe in Paris, but don't despair, I have put together the best French, chocolate crepe recipe for vegans that you can make at home.
Tip: I recommend getting your fill a day or two before leaving for Paris so that you don't feel deprived once you get there.
Vegan Crepes
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup melted margarine
1 1/2 tablespoon turbinado sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Blend together all ingredients. Cover and chill the mixture for 2 hours. (I make it in the evening and chill it until morning.)
Use non stick spray on a large skillet. Heat the skillet. Pour batter into skillet and swirl it to make a thin round crepe. Cook until golden, then loosen edges and flip.
Vegan Nutella-Style Chocolate filling:
2 cups whole raw hazelnuts
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil more or less
1/2 tsp vanilla
Preheat toaster oven to 350 degrees.
Toast nuts in a single layer on baking pan until the skins are almost black and the meat is dark brown, about 15 minutes. Stir the nuts halfway through baking so ensure an even color.
Wrap the cooled hazelnuts in a kitchen towel or paper towel, and rub until most of the bitter skins have come off.
Process nuts in a food processor, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until they have liquefied, about 5 minutes. At first, you will get coarsely chopped nuts, and then it will turn into a fine meal. After a little while, the nuts will form a ball around the blade, and you have a solid mass. Keep processing. The heat and friction will extract the natural oils creating hazelnut butter.
Add in the sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Slowly drizzle in enough oil to make a spreadable consistency. The chocolate will thicken as it cools.
Creating the French Crepe:
Spread a thin layer of chocolate filling on one half of the crepe. Fold the crepe over the filling creating a half circle shape. Fold the crepe in half again creating a quarter circle. Then roll the folded crepe into a funnel shape. Eat immediately.
Labels: chocolate, filling, French Crepe, Paris, Vegan, Vegetarian
