First, start by making the crepes. Pour all the crepes ingredients into a blender or mixing bowl and whisk together for about 30 seconds. Don’t use high-speed blenders or over-process it as this will result in very rubbery crepes. Place the bowl or mixing jug of your blender into the fridge and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. This is necessary to give the chia seeds and the lemon juice time to work their way into the batter. While you wait, you can prepare the fillings and preheat your pan.
There is no need to splurge on a crepe pan. Any flat, cast iron or non-stick pan that is large enough to bake crepes of your liking will do. If you use a non-stick pan, there is nothing you need to consider apart from turning the heat to medium. If you use a cast iron pan, you will need to brush the pan lightly with oil in between each pancake to ensure they won’t stick. Once the pan is preheated, you can start baking your crepes. You know the pan is ready when you can drop a tiny amount of batter into the pan and can lift it with ease after a few seconds.
Pour batter into the pan and tilt it in a clockwise motion to spread the batter evenly. You want the batter to be about 1 non-stick thick. Cook the crepe until the edges start to lift slightly on the edges. This should take about 3-4 minutes. Flip your crepe and cook on the other side until it has cooked through about 1 minute. Keep them warm in a preheated oven at 50°C ( 120°F) while preparing the sauce.
Place the vegan butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and melt it completely. Add the flour and stir quickly until combined and keep stirring and cooking the flour and oil mix for a few minutes. It will dry out a little bit and resemble dough as you can see in the pictures.Don’t let the mass darken, you want the flour just cooked, not fried. Add the milk a few tablespoons at a time and stir vigorously to soften the mixture and the mass is of even consistency. Keep adding and stirring the liquid into the mass a few tablespoons at a time until the milk is incorporated. Don’t be tempted to add all the liquid at once. It will result in a clumpy disaster. Trust me, I’ve tried.
While the sauce is thickening, slice the mushrooms and chop the garlic finely. Add 1 teaspoon butter to a pan, add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms, stir to coat, and cook for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with black pepper, salt and top it into the bechamel sauce. Mix until well combined.
Take the crepes out of the oven and fill them with the mushroom cream. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve immediately. As they say in France – et voila, your very own crepes with creamy mushroom filling.