I’m of the belief that everyone, no matter how good a cook they may be, has one culinary nemesis. One thing that, by all logic, they should be able to cook without a problem- but can’t. Mine is pancakes. That’s right, something that small children can make with ease is something that foils me almost every time. With this in mind, it was probably never a great idea that I attempt crepes tonight.

But crepes are becoming a more and more common street food. They’re popular in Japan, and last time I was home in Adelaide I noticed that a crepe shopfront had opened in the city. But I chose to go the traditional route, paying homage to the home of crepes, France.

Crepes

Two of the most popular fillings for French crepes are fruit and nutella. With this in mind, I decided to whip up two different types- one filled with vegan mascarpone and cinnamon baked apples, and the other with chocolate mascarpone and hazelnuts. However, there was one flaw in my plan- two types of filling really aren’t necessary when your crepe-making skills leave you with very few intact crepes to actually fill.

I used the recipe from Vegan Brunch. The majority of the crepes that I attempted tore into pieces when I tried to flip them. Chadwiko stepped in to help/stop me from breaking something out of sheer rage, and managed to keep a few intact, but they were so thick that they weren’t quite reminiscent of the delicate real thing. But better this than nothing, right? They may not have been pretty, but the pieces didn’t taste too bad at all.

The fillings were a greater success. I used the recipe from the Urban Vegan tiramisu for the mascarpone, with rad whip instead of pre-made Soyatoo. The chocolate mascarpone was a combination of this recipe and the Sweet William chocolate spread that ‘fell’ into my trolley at the supermarket a couple of weeks ago. Chadwiko powered his way through the chocolate hazelnut crepe on this plate without stopping to breathe, let alone ask if I would like to share. I’ll take it as a compliment (but only because I had another one set aside- things could have ended badly otherwise).

So, my pancake/crepe nemesis seems to have bested me once again. I think Chadwiko can stick to weekend morning pancake duty in our house. I don’t mind being relegated to filling-maker- it’s probably for the best.