The pancake is a nifty little comestible if you think about it. Eaten drenched with sticky maple syrup for breakfast, stuffed full of grilled meats and spicy veg from south of the border, or used as a simple vehicle to deliver crème fraîche and caviar, it never fails to deliver.  Even left unadorned, the pancake can impress if made with choice ingredients.

Practically every country has its version. Flapjacks, johnnycakes, griddle cakes, flatbread, Dutch babies, hotcakes, Poodah, Uttahpam, serabi, pajeon, chataamari or injera–the list is endless, the names hunger-inducing.

Serve a pancake cool or hot. Make it a plate, a purse or the piece de resistance.

It doesn’t matter. We’ll make ’em, we’ll eat ’em, we’ll love ’em.

Chickpea Crépes with Tomato, Chèvre, Corn, & Avocado.

Crépe Ingredients

3 large eggs

2 cups milk (I used one cup 2% and one cup almond)

2 tablespoons of oil (I used hazelnut for an extra nutty flavor)

¾ cup chickpea flour

¼ cup semolina flour

1 tablespoon sugar

Salt

Stuffing Bits

Glug or two of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic minced

2 cups chopped tomatoes

2 ears of fresh corn, shucked

2 teaspoons of a spice blend of your choosing (I mixed up a small batch of salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, rosemary and chipotle.)

1 avocado diced (at the last minute) in a bowl

6 oz of chèvre, crumbled into a bowl

Freshly chopped chives

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Cookin’

1. In a blender, combine the eggs, milk and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add both flours, the sugar and a pinch of salt; whiz until smooth. Allow your batter to take a short nap.
2. In a skillet, sauté your garlic in olive oil for about 1-2 minutes. Add your corn and cook for another 2-3 minutes. In the last minute, toss in your tomatoes to simply warm them then add your spices to marry everything together.
3. Line a plate with wax paper. Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet and swirl to coat with olive oil. Adjust your crêpe batter (if it’s gone too thick) by whisking in a little more milk or water if needed. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter to the skillet and again swirl to coat the pan. Cook over medium heat until the surface is dry and the underside is golden, about 2 minutes. Flip the crêpe (good luck, usually I chuck my first one) and cook for 1 minute longer. Transfer the crêpe to the wax paper lined plate and repeat with the remaining batter, remembering to use oil as needed. You should have 12 to 14 crêpes.
4. Place the warmed filling in a bowl with a spoon, and your crépe plate beside it on the table along with your chèvre, avocado and chives. Invite your dinner companions to fill their crêpes at will.
5. Practice your aw shucks, it was nothin’ face.

Now don’t forget to head on over to the main post (here) to see what I’m bletherin’ on about this week. And check out what we’re talkin’ bout down at the pub (here) too!