Matcha (Green Tea) Crepes with Berries

My daughter loves Japanese culture (she's studying the language as well), and now that she's here for a visit over the holidays, it just seemed appropriate to make some breakfast crepes flavoured with matcha (green tea).  These crepes are easy to make and were made with a regular pan (I don't own a crepe pan). They're filled with matcha flavoured sour cream, topped with fresh berries and sprinkled with confectioner's sugar.





MATCHA CREPES
Makes about 10 to 12 crepes, about 8 inches in diameter

Crepes:
2 cups milk
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons matcha (adjust according to how strong you want the green tea flavour to be)

Filling:
1/2 cup sour cream (you can substitute with whipped cream if you want a richer taste; I just used sour cream because it was a leftover from another dish)
1 teaspoon matcha
1 tablespoon honey

Procedure:

1. Sift the dry ingredients and mix them thoroughly in a bowl, with a wire whisk.

2.  Pour the milk, egg and oil. Mix thoroughly with a wire whisk until all lumps disappear.

3.  Put a thin layer of oil on a skillet and heat it on very high heat, until you see the surface smoking a bit.  Use a ladle to get the batter.

4.  Very quickly, pour the batter at the centre of the hot skillet, then lift the skillet to spread the batter all over the pan. Work quickly until you have it around the edge of the pan, forming a rough circle. The key is to work fast and ensure that you have a thin layer of batter, or this will turn into a pancake! Cook the crepe only for a few seconds; the longer you keep it there, the browner the crepe will be.

Lift the hot pan off the flame, to spread the batter all over.
It's ok to have holes; I think they make interesting patters for the filling to peak through!

5.  Flip the crepe. I use a thin, metal spatula to do this, and before flipping, I loosen the edges and go around the perimeter first. Cook it only for a few seconds; around three, to be more precise. This is because I want one side to still be green, to show off the matcha! Stack cooked crepes on top of one another on a plate.

This greener side will actually be the OUTSIDE of the crepe,
because I'd like to show off that matcha!

Flipped! This side will actually be in the inside, because it's browner.

6.  Make the filling by mixing the sour cream with the matcha in a bowl. Use a wire whisk so you can dissolve the matcha powder evenly.

Matcha dissolved...now the filling is a silky, lovely, green colour.

7.  Assemble the crepes.  Take a crepe and put it slightly off centre on your plate, with one edge touching the edge of the plate. (Remember, brown side should be up, because you want this to be inside, and the greener side to be outside!) This is because I fold the crepe into a triangle shape, and I want that folded triangle to be in the middle of the plate. Dollop some filling and add some fresh berries.

Hmmmm, it looks like a puppy! Hahahaha...

8. Fold the crepe over to make a triangle shape. Put more filling between the first and the second folds, and also on top of the crepe. Add sliced fresh berries. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. (I would have put some fresh mint leaves too, but just didn't have any at hand.)

Too beautiful to eat!

Another presentation, this time with more berries (strawberries, blackberries and blueberries), for my boy with a larger appetite:

Bon Appetit!

Store extra crepes by stacking them on top of each other, with a sheet of baking paper. Roll and secure with a rubber band. Put it inside a plastic or ziploc bag. Freeze. When you want to use them, just thaw it for 30 minutes before cooking time. Heat them on a thinly oiled pan and use as usual.