Luau Crepes, by Shawnie Kelley

Coconut and white rice flour crepes

It's only mid-August, and summer is not quite over my friends.  These coconut and white rice flour pancakes, dubbed "Luau Crepes" are the perfect compliment to lime shrimp on the grill, thai curry filling, or an islandy fruit salad. I developed this recipe when it was a raging 102 degrees out, so the steamy, dog days of summer along with my (half) Hawaiian heritage inspired the flavor profile.

When presented with the Association of Food Blogger's "Eggstreme Crepe Challenge" to create an original crepe recipe, I viewed this as an opportunity to experiment with a variety of flours, ranging from the traditional buckwheat and wheat flours to coconut, rice, and chick pea flour. I. ADORE. CREPES. I grew up on crepes. They were a part of my childhood and remain in high rotation for my own family meals. I reflect on my nostalgia for crepes in last week's blog post, Galettes for Two. 

The one and only rule for this competition is that we must use Pete and Gerry's Heirloom Eggs. The family run, organic egg farm located in New Hampshire provided us with the most beautiful marans and Ameraucauna heirloom eggs, of which I discussed the differences in a previous post, Happy Hens= Delicious Eggs. I opted to use the pastel green Ameraucana egg for this recipe, as it is generally larger and the yolk is a little lighter than the marans. 

Eating local and sourcing ingredients from local purveyors (and shopping at my friendly neighborhood markets) has been part of my cooking regimen for years, but I feel very fortunate to live near a massive Market District that carries every type of flour one can possibly imagine. The sky is the limit when it comes to creativity for this crepe challenge, so I picked up several types of flour, including Bob's Red Mill Organic Coconut Flour. This was a first for me, and I found it a challenging ingredient because of its high fiber content, which causes the flour to readily absorb liquid and the batter remains very thick-- even while cooking. I did screw up a few batches in attempt to make 100% coconut flour crepes. This is not recommended as they fall apart when flipping. The key is to blend coconut flour with another flour (in this case, white rice flour-- also gluten free) and once the ratios are right, coconut flour lends a beautiful sweetness to the crepe that is not at all overwhelming in coconut flavor and provides a lovely pliable texture, perfect for rolling with a filling or serving open-faced.  

Coconut Flour is a delicious, healthy alternative to wheat and other grain flours. It is very low in digestible carbohydrates, high in fiber, and a good source of protein. You can usually replace 20% of the called for amount of white (or other) flour with coconut flour. 

LUAU CREPES

INGREDIENTS (yields six 6" crepes):

3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Stone Ground White Rice Flour

1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Coconut Flour

1/8 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Baking Power
1 stick of butter

2/3 cup of Granulated Sugar

1 Pete and Gerry's Heirloom Ameraucana egg

1/3 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1/3 teaspoon Pure Almond Extract

2/3 cup Coconut Milk

1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 cup Finely Shredded Coconut

DIRECTIONS
In one bowl, whisk together the two flours, baking soda, and baking powder
In another bowl, blend butter and sugar with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.
Add Pete and Gerry's Heirloom Ameraucana egg and both extracts.
Blend until fully incorporated.
Alternate mixing in the dry ingredients and milk into the butter/egg mixture.
When fully blended, add the salt and mix in the shredded coconut.
The batter will be pretty thick... if you feel it is still too thick, add a tablespoon of milk to thin it.

Whisk together dry ingredients

Whisk together dry ingredients

Blend wet ingredients, add Pete & Gerry's Heirloom Ameraucana egg

Alternate mixing in coconut milk & dry ingredients
with butter/egg mixture

While batter rests for a few minutes, warm up a drizzle of EVOO in your favorite crepe pan or 8-inch round skillet. Pour 1/2 cup of batter into the center of the pan and swirl it around until it reaches the edge. It might take some coaxing and a spatula to spread it out, as the smooth batter will quickly settle into form as soon as it hits the heat. Cook each side 5-6 minutes. These take longer to cook than traditional white flour crepes because of the nature of the coconut flour. Be patient and use your sense of judgement. Once they become golden brown with a touch of cripsy bits, they are done.

In the meantime, pull out your favorite luau plate and serve up the crepes with whatever filling you choose. We opted to make coconut lime shrimp and dip the crepes and the shrimp in a Thai peanut sauce. Next up... a pineapple salsa-filled coconut crepe.

Coax the thick batter around the pan, use a spatula to quickly spread

Dig out your island dishes while crepes cook 5-6 mins per side

They should be golden brown

Coconut and white rice flour crepes

Luau Crepes with Coconut Lime Shrimp
and Thai Chili Dipping Sauce (Recipe to come)

This Eggstreme Crepe Challenge is sponsored by:

The Association of Food Bloggers:  "The Association of Food Bloggers was started in an effort to clearly define what a reputable Food Blogger should be. There has been much confusion as to what standards there are for Food Bloggers, if any. The goal of the AoFB is to qualify reputable Food Bloggers and serve as a community where those involved in the Food Industry can gather and exchange valuable information. If you are a food blogger that meets their member requirements, learn more about becoming a member here."

Pete and Gerry's Heirloom Eggs: "Pete and Gerry's is a real family farm. We've produced high-quality eggs for four generations in the heart of New Hampshire's White Mountains. We're committed to producing fresh, organic, cage-free, Omega-3 eggs from hens that are Certified Humane. This commitment remains unchanged as we add other family farms to our farm family. We hope you enjoy our delicious eggs."

You can follow along and get some eggs-elent recipes on Twitter #Eggstremecrepe