Tofu-Stuffed Crêpes with Orange Jam
It's actually strange that crêpes haven’t yet become a popular to-go snack. They’re so quickly prepared, can be filled with either sweet or savory ingredients, and fit into any lunch box. Instead, they usually only end up at fairs or Christmas markets on a sad little cardboard, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar only. Boohoo! Today we're going to show you a recipe for filled crêpes that don't come with applesauce, chocolate cream, or powdered sugar, but with a tonka bean tofu filling and orange jam – almost like the French Crêpe Suzette, but a little different. They're great for your next brunch, picnic, or (as I said) as a snack to go.
For the crêpes, we used our basic recipe from the blog, which you may already know. We prepare them the same way but fold them into small pockets at the end. That way, they are wonderfully stable, and the filling is safely packed. How exactly this works is explained in the recipe. We use a mixture of natural and silken tofu for the creamy filling, which is sweetened with powdered sugar and tonka bean. Tonka beans are the black seeds of a tonka bean tree that grows mainly in South America. The seeds look like large, black raisins but taste more like vanilla and rum. You can use a nutmeg grater to add tonka beans to your dish, but you may be much more generous than with nutmeg. We added one whole tonka bean to 600 g (21 oz) of tofu filling, but you can just add as much as you like. You can find the beans in the spice section of larger supermarkets or online. They are a great idea if you want to give your dessert a special touch – so it's definitely worth having a jar of them at home!
To add a little tartness to the dish, we topped the filled crepes with a quick homemade orange jam. Of course, if you want to save yourself this step, you can just buy some jam in stores. The filled crêpes will easily keep for two to three days in the fridge, the orange jam for several weeks – as long as it's stored in a clean airtight container.
Tofu-Stuffed Crêpes with Orange Jam
Ingredients
For the tofu filling:
- 400 g (14 oz) firm natural tofu
- 200 g (7 oz) silken tofu
- 125 g (1 cup) icing sugar
- 2 tbsp cream stiffener
- 1 tonka bean
For the orange jam:
- 6 oranges
- 200 g (1 cup) jam sugar
For the crêpes:
- 500 g (4 cups) wheat flour type 405
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1.5 tsp vanilla sugar
- 100 g (0.5 cup) sugar
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 400 ml (1.66 cups) plant-based milk
- 400 ml (1.66 cups) sparkling water
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
For the tofu filling, blend the natural tofu, silken tofu, icing sugar, and cream stiffener in a tall container until a smooth mixture forms. Use a fine grater to add tonka bean and season to taste. Chill the filling.
In the meantime, prepare the orange jam. Peel five of the oranges and cut them into pieces. Squeeze out the last orange and simmer orange slices, juice, and jam sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
For the crêpe batter, sift flour into a bowl. Add baking powder, vanilla sugar, sugar, and salt and stir to combine. Gradually add plant-based milk and sparkling water and mix until smooth and runny. The batter should be much runnier than pancake batter. Add more plant-based milk, depending on the consistency.
Heat some vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan over low-medium heat. Add a ladleful of the batter to the pan and immediately swirl it around, so it spreads evenly throughout the pan in a thin layer. Fry for about 2 minutes until the crêpe is golden brown, then flip and fry the other side until golden brown as well. Remove the finished crêpe from the pan and set it aside. Repeat with the remaining batter – it should be enough for about 10-12 crêpes.
Now it’s time to fill the crêpes. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the tofu filling in the center of a crêpe and fold the bottom end over the filling. Then fold in the sides of the crêpe and finish by folding the top over the filling as well. Next, turn the crêpe pocket, so the "seam" is at the bottom. Repeat with the remaining crêpes. Serve the filled crêpes on a large platter with orange jam.
