Virginia Woolf and Gluten Free Buckwheat Crepes

"Virginia lingers another moment beside the dead bird in its circle of roses.  It could be a kind of a hat.  It could be the missing link between millinery and death.  She, Virginia, a bird-sized Virginia, lets herself metamorphose from an angular, difficult woman into an ornament on a hat; a foolish uncaring thing." -excerpt from 'The Hours' by Michael Cunningham.

I enjoyed this book and the movie based on the book.  I am not sure why an ornament on a hat is a foolish uncaring thing.  I do prefer hats with little ornamentation, maybe because they don't seem serious or a lot of the time, it is unnecessary.  There is also the image this brings to mind, all those hats we have seen with dead birds on them.  Food for thought.

There is nothing foolish or uncaring about this buckwheat crepe recipe.  They can be stuffed with savory or sweet fillings or eaten alone with butter and maple syrup. 

Buckwheat crepes
makes 12-13 9" crepes

1/2 cup Zazu & Violets' all-purpose gluten free flour mix
1/4 cup buckwheat flour

1/4 tsp. xanthan gum
2 tsp. sugar
1 cup soy milk
2 large eggs
1 tbs. butter, melted and cooled a bit
1/2 - 1 cup water
2 tbs. clarified butter for cooking the crepes

In an 8 cup measuring pitcher, mix together the flours, ground flax seed, xanthan gum and sugar.  Lightly beat the eggs in the soy milk and add the melted butter.  Pour into the flour mix and whisk until it is smooth.  Add enough water to thin it to a little thicker than heavy cream.  The thinner the batter, the thinner the crepe.  You will get the feel of how thick or thin you want them.  Let it rest for 2 hours, refrigerate if you want to keep it longer.  You can even make the batter the night before.  Check the thickness again and whisk in more water if needed.

I use a 9" french crepe pan that my friend lugged back from Paris for me.  It is well seasoned and also perfect for frying an over-easy egg.  Heat the pan to medium high and brush the entire surface with some clarified butter.  Holding the pan in one hand and the batter pitcher in the other, pour about a 5" circle of batter and immediately start swirling the pan to spread the batter all over the surface of the pan.  Set the pan back on the heat.  When the edges curl and brown a bit, about 2-3 minutes, loosen the crepe gently with a cake spatula.  Then, I use a wide pancake spatula to flip the crepe, cook for another 2 minutes until the crepe is browned on the second side. Slide onto a plate and continue making and stacking the crepes.  

They can be filled with anything from chicken salad to sauteed bananas. Just re-heat them in the crepe pan with a little butter and fill. The leftover crepes can be stored in the fridge stacked, or layered and rolled in wax paper.  Today we had a filling of cottage cheese and ricotta sweetened with blueberry compote, then topped with fresh melon and maple syrup.  Yummy! 

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