Beginnings

With a toddler balanced on my left hip I gave the crepe pan I was watching a little shake. It was 6:45 a.m. and our daughter had been up since 5 a.m., hungry. She had been diagnosed with celiac disease less than 24 hours ago, and following almost a month of keeping down little besides breastmilk, she was ready to eat.

The crepe slid toward the edge of the pan. “This may work,” I thought to myself. “Please work.” I shook the pan again and the crepe – my first gluten-free crepe – flipped up and over. “Yesss!” I exclaimed. C kept her eyes glued on the crepe, and as soon as I slid it onto the plate, she pointed to it with her little chubby hand, said “da!” and pointed to her mouth. I tore off a piece and quickly tasted it to be sure, then handed over a bite for her. She inspected it briefly, then tasted. Chew, chew. Pause. The arm that was resting around my neck came forward and she made the sign for “more.” And so we began our adventures in gluten-free cooking at home.

Gluten-Free Crepes (adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything)

Makes 4-5 crepes

1/2 C. gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

pinch of salt

1/2 C. almond milk

1 egg, beaten

1 Tbsp. melted butter, cooled

1. Combine flour, salt, and milk. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in egg and melted butter.
2. Heat a crepe pan over medium-high heat. When warm, add small dollop of coconut oil and spread around entire surface of pan with a paper towel or cloth.
3. Pour 1/3 cup of crepe batter on the pan, swirling and shaking immediately to disperse and make a thin layer.
4. Let the crepe cook, and once the edges begin to dry and separate from the pan, give it a shake to see if it moves. Once it slides, shake the crepe to the edge of the pan, then flip it over to cook the reverse side. (If your crepe is stubborn, use a spatula to loosen and flip.) Cook for about 15-20 seconds more, then slide crepe onto a plate.
5. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing pan with the cloth as needed.
6. Serve immediately with your filling of choice. We recommend jam, almond butter, or scrambled eggs with shredded cheese.

Written by Abby