Infused with lemon and thyme, cling stone peaches make a great filling for soft buckwheat crepes – a comforting gluten-free dessert or vegan breakfast that is low in sugar to warm you up from the inside out.
At this time of the year, though much of a winter wonderland, the Canadian weather portrays a pretty hostile picture at times – not as peachy as we would like it to be. Stormy with freezing rain, heavy snow or just glacial with sub-zero temperatures – long story short, we are more often than not staying indoors, except for the necessary grocery trips. Hence, my pantry is more or less stashed with a little more than the basics – with dried and canned foodstuffs – to brace ourselves for any eventual snowy icy conditions.
Many companies now have BPA-free cans which give me the assurance that I can still enjoy the convenience they pose. Frozen food also definitely helps. However, for many foods, I find the canned version to yield a texture closer to the fresh counterparts. And this holds true for a lot of fruits; peaches are one of them.
Peaches are the one fruit that I relish their canned version, especially the cling stone variety. The California cling stone peaches are the ones that are more commonly available in Canada. Cling stone peaches are rarely sold fresh in the stores as their stones are so well attached to the flesh that they require mechanical methods to be removed.
It is reassuring to know that California cling stone peaches are canned in their own juice or other fruit juices and contain no preservatives – a sweet convenience that means we get to enjoy fruity desserts, breakfasts or snacks during the winter months.
Contrary to fresh peaches, canned peaches retain their appearance, texture, flavour as well as nutritional content when incorporated in cooked recipes. They are also relatively much lower in sugar content compared to other fruits. If you are watching your sugar intake or are diabetic, some peach puree can naturally sweeten many of your sweet treats and baked goods. Peaches will make an excellent substitute for the mango puree in this sugar-free gluten-free oats muffin recipe when mangoes are out of season.
If you’re like me, you probably just enjoy these peaches straight out of the can. Some deeper aromatic notes, however, can really bring out the best in them. All you need is some thick gorgeous slices, fresh (or dried) thyme, a hint of lemon juice and a good drizzle of maple syrup. Sauté in a dry skillet on high heat to quickly evaporate the juices. There is something about the thyme and peaches that is refreshingly invigorating.
Tuck these thyme-infused peaches inside soft folds of buckwheat crepes and you’ll be conquered. An optional drizzle of rose water custard sauce (recipe coming soon on the blog) makes these filled crepes exceptionally moreish.
Take a bite and it will feel like a “department store of flavours”. I’ve borrowed this line from an anime that I am currently watching entitled “Toriko” which is pretty hilarious. It revolves around food, although not all vegan, but it’s the kind of weird that’s fascinating, full of humour and adventure. If you like One Piece and Dragon Ball Z, you’ll probably like this one too.
More recipes from the blog – substitute peaches in these recipes
Mango Blueberry Oat Muffins (substitute the mango)
Jackfruit Milk Jelly (substitute the ripe jackfruit)
Pear Custard Pie (substitute the pear)Related post
Rose Water Vegan Custard Sauce
Watch the video for the easy steps of how to make this lemon thyme sautéed peach filling with gluten-free buckwheat crepes.
Lemon Thyme Peach Filled Buckwheat Crepes
Gluten-free Buckwheat Crepes
(Crepe recipe adapted from Food.com and The Ultimate Book of Vegan Cooking)
Ingredients (8 crepes)
1⁄2 cup [75g] buckwheat flour
1⁄4 cup [35g] brown rice flour (or chickpea flour)
1⁄4 cup [35g] chickpea flour (or more rice flour)
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil (optional, can use other oil of choice)
1⁄2 cup [120ml] canned coconut milk* (or other non-dairy milk, see note)
1¼ cup [300ml] water*(see note)
2 teaspoons tapioca starch or potato starch (cornstarch should be fine too)
1 pinch salt
oil, for pan frying
*If using other non-dairy milk or homemade coconut milk (which is thinner than canned), replace all the water and the milk with 1½ cup total.
Make the crepes:
Mix the buckwheat flour, chickpea flour, brown rice flour, tapioca/potato starch and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre.
Add the oil (if using), the milk and a little of the water. Start to whisk to form a thick batter. Add the remaining water while continuously whisking and drawing in the flour to form a smooth lump-free batter.
Let the mixture rest for about 10 minutes.
Brush a crepe pan or cast iron griddle with a little oil. Ladle on just enough batter to coat the base of the pan thinly. If the pan is light enough, tilt it to swirl the batter around. If not, use the back of a round cooking spoon to spread the batter evenly in a circular motion thinly on the pan.
Cook for about 30 seconds to one minute until a spatula glides easily underneath the crepe. If it feels sticky, allow the crepe to cook for a little longer. Flip and cook the other side until golden and crispy.
Remove from the pan and set aside onto a plate. Stack the crepes on top of one another to keep them soft.
Lemon Thyme Sauté Peach Filling
Ingredients (for 8 crepes)
10 – 12 [796 ml, 28 liq. oz. can] California cling stone peach halves, cut into thick slices
4 – 5 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 – 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or sweetener of choice to taste)
Make the peach filling:
Place peaches, lemon juice, thyme and maple syrup in a dry skillet on high heat. Sauté until the juices have thickened. Peaches should still hold their shape.
To serve:
Place crepe on serving plate. Arrange the warm peaches on top and fold into a triangle or log. Garnish with some thyme leaves and a light drizzle of rose water custard sauce if desired. Serve warm.
Lemon Thyme Peach Filled Buckwheat Crepes
Ingredients
Gluten-free Buckwheat Crepes
- 75 g buckwheat flour, [1/2 cup]
- 35 g brown rice flour, or chickpea flour [1/4 cup]
- 35 g chickpea flour, or more rice flour [1/4 cup]
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil, optional, can use other oil of choice [15 ml]
- 120 ml canned coconut milk*, [1/2 cup] or other non-dairy milk, see notes
- 300 ml water*, [1¼ cup], see notes
- 2 teaspoons tapioca starch or potato starch, cornstarch should be fine too
- 1 pinch salt
- oil, for pan frying
Lemon Thyme Sauté Peach Filling
- 10 – 12 California cling stone peach halves, [796 ml, 28 liq. oz. can], cut into thick slices
- 4 – 5 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 – 3 tablespoons maple syrup, or sweetener of choice to taste
Instructions
Make the crepes:
- Mix the buckwheat flour, chickpea flour, brown rice flour, tapioca/potato starch and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre.
- Add the oil (if using), the milk and a little of the water. Start to whisk to form a thick batter. Add the remaining water while continuously whisking and drawing in the flour to form a smooth lump-free batter.
- Let the mixture rest for about 10 minutes.
- Brush a crepe pan or cast iron griddle with a little oil. Ladle on just enough batter to coat the base of the pan thinly. If the pan is light enough, tilt it to swirl the batter around. If not, use the back of a round cooking spoon to spread the batter evenly in a circular motion thinly on the pan.
- Cook for about 30 seconds to one minute until a spatula glides easily underneath the crepe. If it feels sticky, allow the crepe to cook for a little longer. Flip and cook the other side until golden and crispy.
- Remove from the pan and set aside onto a plate. Stack the crepes on top of one another to keep them soft.
Make the peach filling:
- Place peaches, lemon juice, thyme and maple syrup in a dry skillet on high heat. Sauté until the juices have thickened. Peaches should still hold their shape.
To serve:
- Place crepe on serving plate. Arrange the warm peaches on top and fold into a triangle or log. Garnish with some thyme leaves and a light drizzle of rose water custard sauce if desired. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
Crepe recipe adapted from Food.com and The Ultimate Book of Vegan Cooking Link to recipe – Lemon Thyme Peach Filled Buckwheat Crepes – https://veganlovlie.com/lemon-thyme-peach-buckwheat-crepes-gluten-free-vegan/
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Full Disclosure: This post is sponsored by California cling stone peaches. We only endorse products and services that we like, enjoy, use and that we believe, based on our experience, are worthy of such endorsement. We value the trust of our readers and subscribers. We believe in honesty of relationship and opinion. The views and opinions expressed on this blog and in the video are 100% ours.
Lovely and light topping for my crepes. The thyme added a little something extra to it, would never have thought of that. I purchased my crepes LOL. Thank you for a delicious and easy topping.
This looks so good! I love the blend of flavors in this!