Tinted with beet juice to give it a bright purple hue, this easy-to-make crèpe appetizer is hearty yet heralds spring
In catering, travel and other professional parlance, shoulder season is that awkward time of year (such as now) when the weather hasn't exactly caught up with one season but doesn't quite reflect another. As a host, choosing what to serve your guests can be challenging in a month like April. Soup, for instance, is much too wintery, while big salads scream of summer. My advice is to serve a hybrid app such as this savoury (purple!) crèpe.
Tinted with bright beet juice, it trumpets spring's arrival but looks and tastes substantive. Balancing out its goat cheese filling is a complement of fresh young greens. All in all, it's the perfect segue from winter to spring. Here's how to put it together. purple spring Crèpes
Ingredients
Crèpes:
2 large eggs
¾ cup milk
¼ cup water
¼ cup beet juice
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons melted butter
Pinch of salt
Filling and garnish:
5 ounces plain goat cheese
1 teaspoon chopped chives
1 stem of fresh thyme leaves
3 cups young greens
3 ounces balsamic vinegar
Method
To make the crèpes, place all crèpe ingredients in a blender and run on medium until smooth. Let mix rest in refrigerator for at least an hour and up to 36 hours.
Heat a small (approximately 8-inch) non-stick pan on medium-high heat and either coat with butter or spray very lightly with cooking oil. Ladle enough batter into heated pan to evenly coat the bottom in a thin layer, cook for about a minute, flip and then cook for 20 seconds more.
Remove and lay each crèpe separately on a tray or board until cool, then stack. Wrap and refrigerate or freeze if not using right away. Yields 6 to 8.
To serve, soften goat cheese at room temperature and mix in chopped chives and thyme. Spoon 1 heaping teaspoon of goat cheese into the centre of a crèpe, then fold in edges and roll loosely to create a packet. Serve with greens topped with balsamic vinegar either at room temperature or after 3 to 5 minutes in the oven.
Sebastien Centner is the director of Eatertainment Special Events in Toronto ( www.eatertainment.com).