Baked Whole Wheat Crêpes with Apple Blueberry Sauce

Not really a crêpe at all, of course, but these thin soft baked pancakes are just as ideal for filling and rolling as the traditional pan-fried version — and with far less fuss and chance of error, these are guaranteed to come out perfectly every time. The ideal solution for when you only want a couple of crêpes … as with a nice breakfast or dinner for two.

A thick apple and blueberry sauce is perfect for late summer and early fall, evoking memories of the just-past blueberry season and anticipation of soon-to-come apple picking, but just as with crêpes any sweet fruit or savoury cheese, vegetable or mushroom filling that comes to mind may be used to as nice an effect. Tart apples are my own favourite, but more sugary varieties may appeal to your sweet tooth … or just add a little extra honey to the sauce.

Baked whole wheat crêpes with apple blueberry sauce

Crêpes:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of ground cardamom
dash of sea salt
1/3 cup whole milk
4 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Apple blueberry sauce:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 apples, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple juice or cider
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 pint blueberries
1 tablespoon corn starch

Preheat an oven to 400°.

Sift together the flour, cinnamon, cardamom and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk in the milk and egg yolks. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks just start to form (no need to overdo this). Stir in with the rest of the batter.

Place 1 tablespoon of butter in each of two 9-inch pan plates and put the plates into the preheated oven. Once the butter melts and just slightly begins to scorch, remove the plates from the oven and swirl to coat the bottoms. Pour in half the batter into each of the plates and return to the oven. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove and slide onto serving plates.

Meanwhile, melt the butter for the sauce over medium heat in a small saucepan. Toss in the apples and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the apples are softened and browning. Add the apple juice, honey and lemon zest and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in the blueberries. In a small bowl, dissolve the corn starch in 1 tablespoon of hot water, and add to the pan. Continue to boil, stirring gently, for a couple of minutes until the sauce is thickened.

Spoon a generous amount of sauce onto each of the pancakes and serve.