Vegan Crepes with Cherry Sauce


Vegan Crepes with Cherry Sauce
vegan crepes with cherry sauce photo by carmen troesser

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups vanilla soy milk
1½ cups water
½ cup applesauce
2 Tbsp. agave nectar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. instant tapioca*
24 oz. frozen dark sweet cherries (or substitute fresh cherries)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Soy margarine for greasing the griddle
1 cup fresh blueberries
¼ cup powdered sugar



Preparation

• Combine the flour, soy milk, water, applesauce, agave nectar, vanilla and salt in a blender. The batter will be very runny. Refrigerate the batter, covered, in the blender jar overnight, or for a minimum of 2 hours.

• In a small bowl, muddle the sugar and tapioca so that the tapioca grains break up into small granules. Place frozen cherries in a large, non-reactive bowl and stir in the sugar mixture. Cover the cherries and refrigerate overnight. (If using fresh instead of frozen cherries, let the cherries and sugar mixture rest at room temperature 20 minutes instead of overnight.)

• The next day, remove the batter and the cherry mixture from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature.

• In a heavy saucepan, heat the cherry mixture over medium heat until the juices start to boil. Reduce heat to low and cook 5 minutes, or until the juices thicken, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in the lemon juice and set aside.

• Heat the griddle until it reaches 350 degrees, or heat a 9-inch (or larger) crepe pan or nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Lightly grease the griddle or pan with soy margarine. (The batter will have separated, so blend it again until it is well combined.) Pour batter, ½ cup at a time, onto the griddle or pan. If using a pan, tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly. Cook the crepe 1 minute, or until the underside is golden brown. Loosen with a spatula, then flip and cook the other side 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter, coating the griddle or pan with soy margarine as needed. Keep the crepes warm until ready to serve.

• To assemble, fold each crepe into fourths. Drizzle with cherry sauce and garnish with fresh blueberries and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

*Instant tapioca, also known as pearl tapioca or minute tapioca, can be found in the baking aisle at most supermarkets.