Maggie Beer’s decadent crepes with roasted rhubarb and cinnamon yoghurt

The perfect brunch for brain health

By Maggie Beer, author of Maggie’s Recipe for Life

For me, food without flavour is unthinkable! And so is the notion of restricting whole food groups. My recipe for life is to have a healthy attitude to eating – it’s all about balance, variety and choosing foods that give you the best chance of being in good health now and into your future.

Maggie’s Recipe for Life is not a diet book – it’s a way of life.

Buckwheat crepes with roasted rhubarb and cinnamon yoghurt

SERVES 4

Buckwheat should perhaps be given a new name as it is not a wheat at all, nor a grain. It’s a seed of a plant related to rhubarb. It’s gluten free, high in protein and full of micronutrients, including iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc.

In these crepes the nutty flavour of buckwheat is enhanced by the coconut milk, and the roasted rhubarb is so good it’s worth having as much for dessert as for breakfast.

Don’t leave out the cinnamon with the yoghurt, and I do recommend that you taste before you add any honey – the acidity of natural yoghurts can vary considerably between brands and you may find you don’t need any additional sweetness.

I love that these super-thin crepes can be made the night before and stacked on top of each other between sheets of baking paper.

Ingredients

• 500g rhubarb, leaves and base discarded
• 2 tablespoons lightly packed (40g) soft brown sugar
• Finely grated zest and juice of 2 oranges
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Cinnamon yoghurt

• 3/4 cup (200 g) thick natural probiotic yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon raw honey (optional)

Crepe batter

• 300 ml full-cream milk, or milk of choice, plus extra if needed
• 2 free-range eggs
• 30 g linseed
• 2 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• ⅔ cup (100 g) light buckwheat flour (see note)
• Pinch of sea salt flakes

Rinse the rhubarb stalks well, then cut into 5 cm pieces. Place in a container with the sugar and orange zest and juice. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 160˚C (fan-forced). Place the rhubarb in a single layer in a roasting tin and pour over the juice and zest. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes or until just cooked. Remove from the oven, uncover and set aside to cool.

To make the cinnamon yoghurt, combine all the ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed.

To make the crepe batter, whisk together the milk and eggs, then set aside.

Place all the seeds in a high-powered blender or spice grinder and process until fine. Place in a bowl with the buckwheat flour. Whisk in the milk mixture and salt until well combined. The batter should be the consistency of pouring cream, so if it is a bit thick, add a little extra milk.

Heat a 24 cm frying pan with a little olive oil over low–medium heat. Lift the pan from the heat, then pour in a thin layer of batter and tilt the pan to evenly cover the base. Cook for 2 minutes or until light golden, then gently flip the crepe over and cook for another minute or until just golden. Makes about 8 crepes.

To serve, fill the crepes with rhubarb and a big dollop of yoghurt. Fold into quarters and serve immediately. Leftover batter will hold until the next morning.

Note: There are dark and light varieties of buckwheat flour. The dark is made from grinding the seed with the hull and has more fibre and a stronger taste. You will need the finer texture of light (hulled) buckwheat flour for this recipe.

Maggie’s Recipe for Life (Simon & Schuster, $39.99) features more than 200 recipes that help provide the nutrients we need for optimum brain health.