Crepes with warm apple compote

Easter break is here! Four glorious days of relaxation... OK - glorious is really stretching the truth given the weather outside but the rest still stands. The holidays have to start on the right note - so we breakfasted on scrumptious crepes accompanied with apple compote.

Crepes and pancakes are one of my fall back recipes because they don't take much effort or time to prepare and the ingredients are kitchen cupboard staples. I also always have some frozen fruits and berries in the freezer that I can use to make a sauce and if nothing else, they can always be eaten with some maple syrup or honey drizzled over. These crepes are made with half quantity of wholemeal flour. I like to use wholemeal when ever I can. I have used half and half here just because the crepes come out softer. All the flour in this recipe can be substituted with wholemeal flour. Be sure to use cooking apples to make the compote otherwise they will fall apart and you will end up with a sauce.

For the crepe
1/4 cup wholemeal flour
1/4 cup plain flour
1 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
25g melted butter

• Mix the flour(s) and salt together in a bowl. 
• Whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and melted butter in a separate bowl. 
• Combine this mixture with the flour to form a smooth batter. The consistency should be like pouring cream. Keep this aside for 30 minutes before using it.
• Place a non-stick skillet on medium heat and allow it to become hot. Season the skillet with some melted butter. This is only needed for the first crepe to ensure it doesn't stick to the skillet.
• Mix the batter thoroughly and pour a ladle-full slowly into the hot skillet. Swirl the skillet around while you pour the batter to allow it to spread evenly and form a thin layer. 
• Allow this to cook till the sides start to brown slightly. Turn it over using a spatula and allow the other side to cook for a minute.
• Remove and stack them on a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, stirring the batter each time before making the crepe. 
• Serve with the apple compote.

These can be made ahead of time. - just stack them with a paper towel in between each crepe, cover with a dish cloth and keep them warm in a low oven.

For the compote

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch chunks

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp maple syrup (optional - 1 tbsp of sugar can be used instead)

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

• Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the sugar and maple syrup and stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved continue to cook till it starts to caramelize. Do not stir, otherwise the mixture will start to crystallize - just swirl the contents instead in the pan.
• Add the apples, cinnamon and half the lemon juice and continue to cook till the apples are softened. You can add more lemon juice or more maple syrup depending on how tart or sweet you want the compote to be. Add a table spoon of water if the mixture is too thick. Turn off the heat when the apples begin to soften. They will continue to cook in the sugar syrup.
• This tastes best when served warm.

Serves 2

Scrambled eggs with spinach on an English muffin

For the spinach
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
4-5 handfuls of baby spinach
1 tsp olive oil
Small knob of butter
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper.
Salt to taste

• Heat the oil and butter in a pan. When it is hot add the chopped garlic and saute for a minute.
• Add the spinach leaves, pepper and salt and cook for 3-4 minutes until the spinach has wilted nicely.

For the scrambled eggs
3 eggs
1 tbsp milk (or cream if you so choose)
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
Small knob of butter

• Whisk the eggs and milk with pepper and salt till it is well combined. 
• Place a non-stick skillet on the heat and add the oil and butter. Swirl the oil around so it coats the pan. When the oil is medium hot add the egg mixture. Keep moving the mixture around so that it starts to form curds and continue to cook on the low heat till it is almost done and very slightly runny. Turn off the heat at this stage as the eggs with continue to cook while it sits. Anymore heat and it will be overcooked.  

Assembly

2 English muffins

Butter to spread

• Slice the muffins in half, toast and butter them.
• Place a layer of spinach and then top them with the scrambled eggs.
• If you like, you can also sprinkle some paprika or cayenne pepper. Serve warm.

Serves 2.

Grilled vegetable quesadilla

This is a quick, easy and healthy option for a satisfying breakfast or lunch. Although this does contain cheese - you do need it, otherwise the veggies would just fall out - I try to limit it to the minimum without skimping on taste. I saved a lot of time using frozen grilled vegetables. A nice flavour comes through with the addition of a home made blend of seasoning.

Seasoning
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Filling
2 cups grilled vegetables (bring to room temperature if using frozen)
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup grated cheese (mature chedder or red leicester preferable)
3 medium corn or wholemeal tortillas
Cooking spray
Salt to taste

• Heat the oil in a pan and add the grilled veggies along with 1 tbsp of the seasoning blend.  Add salt to taste (remember there is salt in the seasoning as well). Sauté till all the moisture has evaporated and keep aside.
• Heat a griddle pan and spray it with some cooking spray.
• Place a tortilla on the griddle and allow it to warm up.
• Place a thin layer of grated cheese on one half of the tortilla. Add a layer of the filling over the cheese, followed by another thin layer of grated cheese over the veggies. Fold over the other half and press down. Allow it to toast slightly on one side, then flip it carefully and toast the other side. 
• Remove from the pan and can cut it in half to form triangles. I find a pizza cutter works best for this. Serve warm.

This makes 2 servings.

Breakfast spinach quesadilla

1 small onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red chilli flakes
1-1/2 cups of spinach ( I used frozen, adjust equivalent fresh spinach. Remember spinach reduces to about less than half the quantity when cooked!)
1 or 2 egg whites ( enough to bind the mixture)
3 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
2 flour tortillas
1 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

• Heat oil in a pan. Add garlic to the hot oil and allow it to flavour the oil for a short time.
• Add the chopped onions and sauté till they are soft and translucent.
• Add the fresh and dried herbs, chilli, spinach and season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the salt that you add as the feta cheese is quite salty and will compensate for it. Cook the spinach uncovered and ensure the water in the spinach gets cooked out as much as possible. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Transfer the spinach to a bowl and mix in the egg white(s). The mixture should be such that it just drops from a spoon and should not be very runny.
• Spray or brush a pan that is large enough to hold the tortilla flat with oil and place it over low heat.
• Place a portion of the feta cheese on one half of the tortilla and allow it to melt slightly.
• Increase the heat to medium and add half the spinach and egg mixture over the feta layer. Fold the tortilla in half and allow the egg to firm up inside. Flip the tortilla and do the same to the other side.
• Cut into wedges (I found a pizza slicer does this very nicely) and server hot.

Bread with tomatoes, basil and parmesan

Caught an episode of the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network this weekend where Ina Garten made this gratin of bread and tomatoes with basil, garlic and parmesan cheese. It looked really appetising and I thought it might be lovely even without the time in the oven. So out I went to buy the necessary ingredients and made it for breakfast this morning. I had it with a fried egg while hubby liked it better with scrambled egg. It was rather heavy for breakfast and would probably be ideal for a brunch instead. But the end result was quite good. The only problem I had was than I had to use a lot more fat that I normally do to get the bread to crisp up. I'll try it as a gratin some other time.

 A small baguette or ciabatta roll cut into bite size chunks
4-5 medium sized tomatoes cut into chunks
2-3 roasted red bell pepper chopped (optional)
2 pods of garlic chopped
Small bunch (10-12) basil leaves chopped
3 tbsp Olive oil
1tsp Butter (optional)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Chilli flakes (optional)

• Heat the oil and butter in a pan. When it is hot, add the bread pieces and allow them to crisp up on all sides.
• When the bread is toasted, add the tomatoes,  garlic, chilli flakes, salt and  pepper  and cook for 4-5 minutes until the tomatoes just start to disintegrate in the pan. The bread will soak up the liquid and soften slightly. You can also optionally add chopped roasted bell pepper if you like it. I found it needed the chilli flakes to compensate for the sweetness from the peppers.
• Take off the heat and toss with the basil and parmesan cheese (according to your taste) while still hot. Sprinkle with more parmesan before serving.

A 6 inch baguette will feed 2 people generously.