This is a recipe I developed more than 10 years ago, but it’s still a great one for this time of the year, when fresh corn is available (though you can make it with frozen sweet corn kernels, of course). It’s an easy make-ahead main dish for a company dinner, colorful and delicious, but it makes an elegant brunch dish as well. The components of the dish, the “ricotta”, vegan Bechamel, and crepes can be made well ahead of time, and the sauce (Coulis) can be made early in the day and reheated– and the Coulis is the easiest sauce in the world to make. The crepes can be frozen well before you use them.
One crepe is filling, but hearty eaters can probably eat two. (These crepes are a little larger than the ones I usually make.)
BRYANNA’S CORN CREPES WITH RICOTTA-“HAM” FILLING AND RED PEPPER COULIS
Serves 6-12
Crepes: (makes 12 large crepes)
2 1/4 cups nondairy milk
3/4 cup wholewheat pastry flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
6 oz (3/4 cup) extra-firm SILKEN tofu or medium-firm tofu
1/3 cup corn flour (finely-ground yellow cornmeal, NOT cornstarch)
1 1/2 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
Optional:
3 pinches ground nutmeg
1 pinch turmeric
Filling:
1 recipe Bryanna’s Vegan Ricotta (see 2 recipes here) — you might have a bit left over.
285 g or 10 oz. vegan “bacon” or ‘ham” of your choice
2 cups frozen sweet corn kernels, thawed, OR fresh corn kernels, lightly cooked and drained well
3 green onions, chopped
Red Pepper Coulis:
4 large roasted red peppers, peel removed, rinsed (can be from a jar)
3/4 cup Bryanna’s Vegan Béchamel Sauce or this bean-based version
2 Tbs dry to medium sherry (or a nonalcoholic white wine, if you prefer)
To Make the Crepes:
Process all ingredients in a food processor or blender until very smooth. No need to “rest” the batter first. Tofu crepes are made just like ordinary crepes. Heat a nonstick 10-12″ skillet over medium-high heat and wipe it lightly with oil before making each crepe. Use about 1/4 cup of batter per crepe (stirring the batter before you make each crepe), rolling and tilting the pan until it evenly covers the bottom. Cook for a few seconds, or until the top looks dry. Carefully loosen the crepe with a spatula and flip it over. After a few seconds the other side should be dry. Fold into quarters or roll like a jelly roll and place on a plate (or leave them flat if you are going to stack them with filling). If you are going to use the crepes shortly, cover them with a clean tea towel.
If you are going to store the crepes for later use, let them cool and place in a plastic bag or rigid container (with pieces of waxed paper in between each crepe) and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze them for future use (thaw thoroughly before filling).
To Make the Filling:
Mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
To Make the Sauce (Coulis):
Mix together all the coulis ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Heat gently in a microwave-proof bowl, or in a saucepan over low heat.
To bake and serve the crepes:
Divide the filling into 12 equal parts. Place each portion of filling down the center of one crepe and roll it up. If it seems like too much filling, cut it down to your liking, but I like these well-filled. Place the filled crepes in a large rectangular baking dish (in one layer– use another baking dish, if necessary) lined with cooking parchment.
The crepes can be filled ahead of time and refrigerated for a few hours or overnight, well-covered. When you are ready to serve, heat the oven to 400°F. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for about 20 minutes if the crepes have not been refrigerated, or 30 minutes if they have. Serve the crepes hot with the reheated Red Pepper Coulis.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1 filled crepe with sauce): 251.2 calories; 23{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} calories from fat; 7.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 449.3mg sodium; 513.5mg potassium; 30.9g carbohydrates; 3.7g fiber; 5.2g sugar; 18.3g protein.
Enjoy!
