There are a lot of gluten-free crepe recipes on the web but I think I may have perfected the skill of making the perfect gluten-free French crepe. My husband and I recently returned from a twelve day European cruise to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. Wow! It was a trip of a lifetime. I had never been to Europe, so it gave a perfect sampling of many beautiful cities. I found some cities a bit more difficult to eat gluten-free than others. In Italy for instance, most menus are full of pizza and pasta, but not the gluten-free version. I ate a lot of anti-pasta and mozzarella cheese with tomatoes and basil. In France, the smell of a crepe lured me in, but again, no gluten-free version. My hubby sampled them all for me. I told him as soon as we return I was going to work on perfecting a gluten-free crepe that rivaled the French crepe, very thin with slightly crisp edges. My husband, who is very honest, will send me back to the “test kitchen” if it’s not just right, gave me the two thumbs up. He said, “Babe, you nailed making the perfect gluten-free French crepe, I’m not sure I could tell the difference!”
I watched several different videos of French chefs creating crepes and a few similarities stood out. Make sure the batter is thin, the pan must be extra hot, and begin pouring the crepe in a circle from the outer edges of the pan to the center. This will help ensure that the outer edges crisp because they will cook slightly longer. Using a non-stick 10″ skillet, I found that just shy of 1/3 cup of batter made the perfect crepe. The next trick of course is getting the flour right. I used even 3rd’s of rice, tapioca and potato starch, which was the perfect blend.
The crepes cook quickly, so place them on a warm plate and fold them in half to help preserve the heat.
You can fill your crepes with any type of fruit, or use Nutella spread, which is very popular at all the Creperies in France. This crepe recipe may also be used to make a savory one with ham and cheese if you like. I prefer using seasonal fruit, so making an apple compote seemed natural. I cut a large Fuji apple in half (use two apples if they are small to medium size) and placed half in a blender, creating an apple sauce. The other half I chopped and placed in a pan to create the compote.
After the apples had simmered for about 20 minutes, I added the pureed apple to the sauce.
Place a small amount of caramelized apple compote in the center…
roll the crepe, and place a little compote on top. The end result is a crepe my husband said tasted as close to a French crepe as I could have hoped!
The only city we visited in France was Toulon. Certainly not the most beautiful city in France. It is home to a large naval base and was massively bombed during World War II. Sadly, their beautiful buildings were replaced with uninspired apartment complexes along the Mediterranean coast. Dive a little deeper in to the city and you will find remnants of a once beautiful place. We wandered through the streets and came across a local farmer’s market selling everything from fresh olives to goat heads and sea urchins (I saved you by not posting the picture of the goat heads). It did, however, make me wonder if I would cook any differently if I lived in France.
Gluten-free Crepes with Caramelized Apple Compote
Print recipe
| Serves | 8 |
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 15 minutes |
| Total time | 30 minutes |
| Dietary | Gluten-free |
| Meal type | Breakfast, Dessert |
Ingredients
crepe
- 2 Large eggs (free range)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup white rice flour (extra-fine)
- 1/3 cup tapioca starch
- 1/3 cup potato starch
- 1/2 cup milk (whole)
- 2 tablespoons butter (melted)
- butter (for pan)
compote
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 Large apple (divided in half. chop half, puree half.)
- 1/3 cup coconut palm sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon water
Directions
| compote | |
| Step 1 | |
| In a small sauce pan over medium heat add butter and 1/2 a large chopped apple. | |
| Step 2 | |
| Add coconut palm sugar, cinnamon and water. | |
| Step 3 | |
| Bring apple mixture to a medium boil, stirring occasionally. | |
| Step 4 | |
| Place remaining half an apple into a blender and blend on high until applesauce forms. Add a tablespoon of water if needed. | |
| Step 5 | |
| Add applesauce to chopped apples in saucepan. | |
| Step 6 | |
| Turn burner down to low and continue on a slow simmer while you make the crepe batter. | |
| Step 7 | |
| Simmer until apples are completely soft. | |
| crepe | |
| Step 8 | |
| In a medium size bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs and water. | |
| Step 9 | |
| Briskly whisk in rice flour, tapioca and potato starch. | |
| Step 10 | |
| Slowly add milk while continuing to stir. | |
| Step 11 | |
| Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add to crepe mixture. Batter should be extremely thin. | |
| Step 12 | |
| Heat a 10"non-stick skillet on high heat. Add a small amount of butter to cover the bottom of the pan. | |
| Step 13 | |
| Stir the batter between each crepe to ensure it is fully blended; flour has a tendency to settle. Pour approximately 1/3 cup of batter into heated pan beginning in a circular pattern from the outer edges of the pan to the center. Lift the pan and swirl in all directions creating an even coating. | |
| Step 14 | |
| Cook until outer edges begin to crisp and pull away from the pan. Flip over and cook an additional 1 minute on other side. | |
| Step 15 | |
| Place cooked crepe onto a warm plate and flip in half. Continue cooking until all crepe batter is used. | |
| Step 16 | |
| Open crepe and place a small amount of apple compote down the center. Roll crepe and add a small amount of compote on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm. | |
This recipe has been shared on the following blogs: VegetariamMamma
Yum! Caramelized apples…delish!
You don’t understand how BADLY I’ve been craving crepes! I haven’t had one in almost four months. Thanks for making my mouth water, I wish I could reach through the screen and grab that crepe. Awesome recipe <3
They are easy to make. I hope you get to try them soon!
Oh my gosh! This looks incredible! I can’t wait to try it one day. Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
For our 10th wedding anniversary that’s what we want to do! How fun you got to go! These look and sound delicious!
Yes, go for your tenth! It was truly a trip of a lifetime!
Yum! This sounds absolutely delicious. I’m hoping to visit France in the spring, because a good friend moved to Paris. I’m so jealous! Where else did you stop in Europe? It sounds like an awesome trip.
We went to Rome, Florence, Pisa, and Venice in Italy, then to the Greek isles, and ended in Barcelona Spain. We had a blast!
This crepe looks absolutely delicious! I’m drooling over the apple compote you made for the filling! <3
Thank you! They were easy to make and oh so delicious!
Those look DELICIOUS! While I do not follow a gluten-free lifestyle, I do try to limit my intake, and I don’t think I’d feel like I would be missing out if I tried these! Looking forward to trying your recipe! Yum! 🙂
My hubby didn’t feel like he was missing out at all. He said they were just as good as the French crepes in France!
Yummo, those GF crepes look great, nicely done!
Thank you! We did have an amazing trip. I’m hoping to create a gluten-free recipe from each country we visited. I think an Italian recipe will be next!
Thank you, I don’t think your gluten-free family members would be disappointed! My husband said these crepes are really as good as the French crepes.
That looks delicious thanks for sharing! Your pictures are great!
Thank you Claire. People are always surprised to find out all my pictures are taken with my iPhone!
I love crepes. I don’t eat GF but it’s great they can be made that way for people who do.
Okay this just looks so delicious!! Great job 🙂
Yum! Can you come over an make me breakfast? 🙂
This is so interesting, I was just talking about trying Crepes with my husband. I need to share this recipe with him.
The nice thing about crepes Erica, is you can fill them with your favorite fillings, fruit, nutella, chicken, etc. Enjoy!
Oh wow – these sound amazing and look even more delicious than the gluten-full kind 🙂 I’ll have to impress my GF girlfriends with a batch of these at our next getaway. Thanks for the great recipe and tips!
You’re welcome, Maryn! And a girlfriend getaway sounds fantastic!
Looks so delicious! We try and eat gluten free as often as possible so I’ll have to check this out!
Oh this looks so delicious. I’m quite interested in rice flour and the benefits of using it in cooking so I’m definitely collecting these sorts of recipes. You definitely nailed it!
Katie <3
Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays Party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂 I can’t wait to see what you share next time!
-Cindy
Yum, I love crepes and these look amazing! Your pictures are perfect!
These look so delicious. Crepe’s are my favorite.