The Tale of The Thrifty Backpackers & Lemon Poppyseed Crepes

One chilly morning in Ireland, four travellers had very empty stomachs. And very empty wallets. This had nothing to do with last night’s Guinness and Kilkenny. Nothing!

Okay, maybe it had a little bit to do with that. But hey, “When in Ireland…drink as the Irish do!”

Or something like that.

The travellers scoured the hostel kitchen, but all they found was flour, milk, and eggs. And some leftover……soy sauce? Maybe they would leave that one out.

What to do? Luckily, the French-Canadians had a plan.

Crepes to the rescue!

M & R shared their kitchen expertise, while B & K  ”helped” with their forks.

It turns out crepes are actually easier to make than pancakes. Less ingredients. No stress about over-mixing. No flour spots from under-mixing because you’re stressed about over-mixing.

Just add lemon, zest and poppy seeds to M & R’s classic crepe and you’ve created a gourmet Easter brunch.

Some drizzled glaze sends this dish goes over the top.

First, grab a lemon and zest away. Then pop it in the microwave. Its a handy little trick to get more juice out of it.

Make your glaze by whisking icing sugar and lemon juice. The lemon juice adds the perfect amount of tang.

Then for your crepes: whisk the egg, milk, lemon juice, flour, and sugar until blended well. Stir in the poppy seeds and lemon zest. And slap them on the sizzling saucepan.

Okay, frying pan. But I couldn’t resist the “s”

Need some help flipping crepes? Julia Child’s got your back.

And remember, “the first pancake is always the worst”. A little life lesson from breakfast.

Lemon Poppyseed Crepes with Lemon Glaze

Print, email or text recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6 crepes (serves 2)

Ingredients:

For the Glaze

• ½ cup plus 3 TB icing sugar
• 5 tsp lemon juice

For the Crepes:

• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp poppy seeds

Directions:

1. Start by zesting one lemon. First make the glaze, then the crepes.

For the Glaze:

1. Microwave zested lemon for 20 seconds (this helps get more juice) and juice lemon.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together icing sugar and lemon juice. Set aside.

For the Crepes:

1. Heat non-stick frying pan to medium heat, spray with cooking spray.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk egg and milk. Add lemon juice. Whisk in flour and sugar until blended well.
3. Add poppy seeds and lemon zest. Whisk.
4. Drop ¼ cup of batter onto frying pan, lifting the pan so the batter spreads out thinly. When bubbles begin to appear (about 30 seconds) flip the crepe. Cook until golden-brown on both sides. Spray between crepes to prevent sticking.

What’s your favourite way to have crepes?