If you want to make your day in the woods a little more gourmet you’ll want to bring along a few of these stuffed crepes to slay workout hunger and keep your legs feeling energized. And who doesn’t love peanut butter with banana? (Hint: nobody.) Bring extras to share with your exercise partners and you’re sure to become a trail hero.
For a more eco-savvy workout, consider reusable items for transporting your homemade fuel. A great option for hungry athletes is the malleable beeswax wraps offered by Canadian-owned Abeego that can fit snuggly around your trail fare.
Per serving:
In blender, place coffee, eggs, oil, oat flour, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt and blend until smooth. Alternatively, in large bowl, whisk ingredients together until no lumps are present. The batter should be thin.
Heat 8 to 10 in (20 to 26 cm) greased skillet over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup (60 mL) batter into pan and quickly lift skillet off burner, then tilt and swirl pan so batter forms large thin circle. Place pan back on heat and cook for 1 minute, or until edges begin to darken and curl inward. Loosen with thin spatula, carefully flip, and cook other side for 30 seconds.
In single layer, place prepared crepes on metal rack to cool and repeat with remaining batter. You should have at least 8 crepes. Prepared crepes can be chilled for up to 5 days.
To assemble, spread 1 Tbsp (15 mL) peanut butter on a crepe and top with banana slices and a drizzle of maple syrup, if using. Roll crepes and transport in a small zip-top bag or other air-tight portable container.
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.