Coconut Crêpe Pancakes | Alle Belle

Description

Growing up, these Coconut Crêpe Pancakes called Alle Belle were my favourite for Shrove Tuesday! To make this classic Goan tea-time snack, crêpes are stuffed with a delicious coconut and nut filling. I’m sure you are going to love this Alle Belle recipe!

Ingredients

For the crêpes

• 1 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 Egg, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Oil

For the Filling

• 1½ cup Fresh Ground Coconut
• 1 cup Desiccated Coconut
• ½ – 1 cup Condensed Milk
• A pinch of Cardamoms, finely crushed
• A pinch of Nutmeg, freshly grated
• A pinch of Salt
• ¼ cup Cashew Nuts, finely chopped

Method

To Prepare the Batter:

1. Sift the all-purpose flour into a bowl and add the salt to it.  Give it a quick mix.  
2. In another bowl mix the wet ingredients: beat the egg, then add the milk, vanilla and sugar.  Mix it well till the sugar dissolves
3. Add a quarter of the wet ingredients at a time to the flour, whisking it well but gently to avoid any lumps. Make sure not to overbeat the batter because it will work up the gluten and give you a tough batter.  
4. If the batter is not smooth this is the time to pass it through a sieve and break down any lumps that may be there.
5. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and set the batter aside to rest for 10 minutes before making the crêpes. It will thicken slightly during that time. If it thickens too much, you could add more milk to the batter to thin it out.

To Prepare the Filling:

1. In another bowl, mix the freshly grated coconut, desiccated coconut, condensed milk, cardamom, nutmeg, salt and chopped cashews. Give it a good mix till all is well combined
2. Divide the filling into four bowls and add just a dash of your favourite food colours to each one.

To Make the Crêpes

1. Heat a nonstick or cast iron pan on a low to medium heat. With a brush, gently apply some oil on the pan and then spoon about ¼ cup of the batter on the pan making sure to swirl the pan as you pour. This will create a thin layer of the batter covering the base of the pan. 
2. As soon as the edges of the crêpe seem to leave the pan, flip it over to cook on the other side for just 30 seconds.
3. Take it off the pan and place it on a plate. Repeat the process till you finish the batter.

Assembling the Pancakes

1. On a flat surface, place one crêpe and spoon on three teaspoons full of the filling.  Now fold in the sides of the crêpe and gently roll it down to form the pancake.  
2. Continue the process till you finish rolling all the crêpe. If you like, you could cut them into halves on the diagonal for added finesse.