This past weekend I was struck by a desire for brunch. Since crepes seem to be all the rage right now, and all of my non-vegan friends have been raving about all the creperies in the area, I decided crepes were in order. I’ve made crepes before, but not for some time. This week I decided to give the crepe recipe from Vegan Brunch a whirl and as such I won’t be printing the recipe. Don’t worry, I’ll be doing a little more testing and posting a crepe batter recipe soon. In the mean time, pick up a copy of Vegan Brunch. The crepe batter was excellent, and I thought I would share a few filling ideas with you.

One thing I love about crepes is their versatility, so I did both a savory and a sweet application. If you are doing something very savory, like curried vegetables, you probably want savory crepes (without sweetener), but for something breakfasty like this, sweet crepes worked great for both dishes. While perhaps a little intimidating, crepes are not that hard once you get the hang of them. You just need a little patience and the right equipment. While you don’t need a crepe pan (although they can be helpful) you will need a good non-stick skillet, or a well seasoned cast iron pan. I used a well seasoned cast iron skillet inverted over a burner (so i was cooking the crepes on the bottom of the pan). This gave me a surface similar to a crepe griddle and made it easy to flip the crepes with an Offset Spatula. I’m not sure if this method will work on an electric stove, so make sure your pan will get hot enough before you start.

Mushroom Crepes

Makes enough to fill 4-6 crepes

1/4-1/2 cup dry porcini mushrooms
2 cups boiling water
1 Tbsp mushroom soy sauce
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 tsp arrowroot dissolved in 2 Tbsp cold water
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup sliced crimini or button mushrooms
About 1/2 cup diced veggie sausage, about 2 links or patties or one large link. (optional)
1/4 tsp dry thyme
1/4 tsp dry rosemary
1/4 tsp rubbed sage
salt and pepper
olive oil

Place dry porchini in a bowl with boiling water. Set aside and allow to reconstitute for 20-30 min. Strain liquid into a small sauce pan, reserving reconstituted porchini. Add the mushroom soy sauce and red wine to mushroom liquid. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Stir in arrowroot mixture and cook until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool until serving.

In a large skillet, heat about 2 Tbsp olive oil over med-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until they begin to caramelize. Add sliced mushrooms and reserved porchini. Cook until mushrooms begin to soften. Add sausage and herbs and cook through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve

Fill each crepe with the mushroom mixture. Roll on place on a plate seam side down. Poor sauce over top and serve.

Blueberry sauce

2 cups frozen blueberries
1/4 cup sugar (adjust as necessary depending on how sweet your berries are)
1 tsp arrowroot
2 Tbsp water

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan over med-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Serve over folded crepes with powdered sugar. This also makes an awesome sauce for ice cream or pancakes.