If you like mandarins, their wonderful aroma, I suggest gluten-free and lactose-free crepes with mandarin sauce (but you can also use regular flour if there are no specific dietary needs). It is a simple dessert, prepared with little effort and without the use of any special utensils. The mandarin sauce, smooth, velvety, very fragrant, and delicious, makes the crepes elegant and different from usual. We can propose them as a dessert for Sunday lunch, on a special occasion, or to accompany tea.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 1 medium egg
- 4.6 oz lactose-free milk
- 4.4 oz gluten-free mix
- 1 lemon
- 0.4 oz melted butter
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 3.2 oz gluten-free powdered sugar
- 6.3 oz mandarin juice
- to taste grated zest of one mandarin and lemon
- 0.4 oz gluten-free potato starch
- 0.04 oz fine salt
- 1 teaspoon Liquor of choice (optional)
Tools
- 1 Crepes Pan
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Strainer
- 1 Hand Whisk
Steps
To cook the crepes, there is no need to have a specific pan, but a non-stick pan with a diameter of 5-6 inches is sufficient.
The milk can be replaced by an equal amount (a milliliter more or less) of orange juice, mandarin juice, lemon juice, or another citrus beverage or plant-based drink.
1) Place the egg and milk in a large bowl and blend them together with a fork or a steel whisk. Add the sifted flour (I use a universal mix suitable for various types of preparations), the salt, and the grated zest of half a lemon. (We will use the other half to flavor the mandarin sauce as well). Mix gently until you get a smooth and very fluid batter that we will let rest for about 10 minutes, covered with a small plate. Since not all gluten-free mixes or flours are the same, you might need a little more or less milk than I indicated to get the right consistency.
2) Meanwhile, let’s prepare the mandarin sauce. Sift the potato starch and put it in a saucepan. Add the grated zest of one mandarin and half a lemon, the powdered sugar, fine salt, and mix them together.
3) Squeeze the mandarin juice and pour it into the saucepan along with the liquor (both Strega, limoncello, rum, etc., work well), stirring with a steel whisk to prevent lumps. Place the saucepan on a small burner and, over low heat, let the sauce cook, stirring often, until it starts to thicken (the alcohol in the liquor will have completely evaporated by that time). Turn it off immediately, strain it through a strainer, and transfer it to a steel container. Place the mandarin sauce container in a pot with ice water to cool it down quickly (be careful not to let water enter the mandarin sauce).
4) Now let’s focus on cooking the gluten-free crepes as described here. Both the crepes and the sauce should be served cold.
5) When the crepes are ready, we will pour a scant tablespoon of mandarin sauce on each one, fold them in half or quarters and serve them, completing with plenty of powdered sugar.
6) Alternatively, we can fill a sauceboat with the mandarin sauce so that each diner can serve themselves as desired.
Extra Idea. If the crepes are prepared well in advance, I suggest stacking them on top of each other and sealing the plate containing them with cling film, leaving just a slit for the moisture to escape slowly; this way, the crepes will remain moist and very soft for longer. Here are some citrus-based, hazelnut, and so on preparations to enrich and vary your crepes from time to time.
