Manna from heaven? - Low carb & gluten free crepes / pancakes

Mention the word pancake and immediately my stomach is all a flutter as my taste-buds go into overdrive in anticipation. I envision deep, fluffy layers of spongy goodness drowning in an ocean of that wonderful nectar, maple syrup, and to top it all off a grand old dollop of whipped cream or even ice-cream......mm I can taste it now.
But when I embarked on this low carb eating style as a means of obtaining, not a new me, but a healthier me, I thought I had waved good by to the wonderful pancake, and with American blood running through my veins you would understand what a hardship that was....a life without pancakes? unendurable in my opinion!

When I first discovered the recipe for these I thought to myself...no way is this possible!...but after almost 30 years of working with food I should have known better...when it comes to cooking the sky is definitely not the limit!

These luscious, heavenly beauties are startlingly like a pancake, make these and you won't miss the regular kind at all! They can be adapted to suit a sweet or savoury use. Make them deep like an American style pancake or have them thin like a French crepe. For this recipe I chose to make them thin and savoury as I was rustling some up for my lunch.
The key when making these is patience! patience! and some more patience! if you try to cook them too fast they will burn on the bottom before the tops are anyway near done, they will be impossible to flip and you will end up not only with a 'egg on your face' but an eggy mess all over the place!
Make a large batch of them as they keep well in the refrigerator and freezer.


You will need.....
a very non-stick frying pan, preferably one just large enough to make a single pancake....or use a very even smooth surface griddle....I did a couple using my smallest non stick frying pan and they worked okay....then I tried some on my not so even surfaced, as I soon found out, griddle, where I ended up with elongated ones which worked out well for my lunch 'wraps'
for the basic savoury recipe which makes approx 6 pancakes or 2 servings.....or you can always make them really huge or even in a small canape size just for fun!

100 g full fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon very soft butter
5 eggs
sea salt
fresh black pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

other things you can add to the actual mix would be.....
1 tablespoon of chopped chives or spring onions
some very small dice of pre-cooked pancetta or chorizo sausage
chopped black olives and oregano
really anything that you could add to an omelette will work okay with this dish...just make sure anything you add, (bar fresh herbs obviously), make sure it has been cooked in advance of adding to your mixture.

How to.......if you have a hand mixer or a food processor then this will make the task much easier

• beat the cream cheese with the softened butter until very smooth
• beat the eggs separately, then slowly add them to the cream cheese mixture. 
• Whisk swiftly until all are combined, then season and spice up your mix
• the mixture will be quite runny...this is normal so don't panic...transfer your mix to a jug just to make pouring easier
• heat your pan / griddle to a low to medium heat...if the mixture sizzles quite a lot when you pour it on then your surface is too hot and your pancake may burn
• slowly pour enough mixture onto the surface to make whatever size of pancake you want
• now leave it alone to seal on the bottom and cook....this may take up to 5 minutes so be patient
• when the top has turned pale and is set, it is now time to loosen the pancake and turn it over
• leave it on the griddle just long enough to brown the underside...transfer to a plate when done then repeat the process 
• eat them while they are still warm or let them cool                         

I used these as a wrap....take 1 pancake, I have cooked them quite large, spread with your favourite pate, add some cucumber sticks, some crisp leaves, a drizzle of your favourite carb free dressing, roll up, cut in half and serve with some additional salad bits and bobs. 

There are no end to the fillings you can add, just remember to keep them all keto friendly!

If you want to have them for a 'sweet' treat, then dispense with the salt, pepper and spices, instead add some ground cinnamon, maybe ginger or even mixed spice to your mixture.

Have them with fruit (low carb of course) some sugar free ice cream or even sugar free syrup....I haven't seen any of that for sale yet but I'm told it's out there. 

Try it in the classic 'Crepe au chocolat' style, spread with a little home made chocolate ganache...which is just dark chocolate melted in cream then allowed to set... sprinkle with some toasted and chopped nuts e.g. brazils or almonds, roll up your pancake then pipe in some whipped fresh cream......a desert fit for a king...or queen! Yum!