Breakfast is a tricky, hurried time. Most mornings it's all I can do to hurriedly eat a cup of Greek yogurt or, even less glamorously, pick at pieces of scrambled egg from my eight-month-old's untouched plate (I know, #momlife, right?). But that doesn't mean that I don't dream of more lavish breakfasts, and when we have the extravagant option of more free time on weekend mornings, I like to do the whole "luxury" thing right. Lighting a favorite candle is a great way to kick off that weekend meditative vibe, and lately I've been blissing out to the sweet fragrance of a buckwheat & honey natural beeswax candle from my friends at Northern Lights....in fact, it's the scent that inspired this breakfast flavor combination!
Picturing a golden stack of nutty, warm buckwheat crepes, I imagined them generously schmeared with whipped mascarpone and a drizzle of honey, accompanied by juicy, ripe late summer figs. A scattering of fresh thyme leaves adds a lightly herbaceous note that finishes these dreamy pancakes off perfectly. You can easily adapt this recipe year-round for whatever's in season, or to go with your favorite jam or preserves, but try it while figs are still in season and see if it doesn't become your new favorite end-of-summer treat. Happy brunching, all!
Makes about 8 10" crepes"
FOR THE CREPES:
3 tablespoons butter, plus more for the pan
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup water
1 beaten egg
2 tablespoons honey
FOR TOPPINGS (amounts vary, to taste):
Mascarpone, at room temperature & whipped until fluffy
Honey
Sliced fresh figs
Fresh thyme
Melt three tablespoons of butter, reserving the rest. In a mixing bowl, combine both flours and salt. In a separate large bowl, whisk together yogurt, water, egg, honey and melted butter. Slowly add flour mixture, whisking until you have a smooth, runny batter.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat, add a small knob of butter (maybe half a teaspoon, enough to melt and coat the bottom of the pan. Once the pan is hot and butter is sizzling, ladle batter 1/3 of a cup at a time into pan, swirling to create a large, thin pancake. Once bubbles form on the crepe surface, flip with a spatula, and cook until golden brown on both sides. Add a small amount of butter every time the pan seems dry in between crepes.
To serve crepes, fold in half on a plate, add a schmear of mascarpone and a drizzle of honey, fold in half again and finish with more honey. Surround crepe with sliced fig halves, and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves (removed from stem). Enjoy!
(Full disclosure: Northern Lights provided the candles that were the inspiration for this series of posts, but all opinions and recipes provided are one hundred percent my own! To find out more about the Beeswax Candles and their other lovely creations, visit www.northernlightscandles.com)