Mini Beetroot Crepes Stuffed with Arugula, Goat Cheese & Ground Pistachio for the February 5 Star Makeover

The subject of this month's Five Star Makeover  - hosted as ever by the talented duo of Natasha of 5 Star Foodie and Lazaro of Lazaro Cooks! - is beets, an ingredient with endless possibilities if ever there was one. In fact, so many ideas popped into my head for this month's challenge I had a tough time choosing which dish to make.


But I am very happy with my choice:  these cute little beetroot mini crepes. I mean, nothing this pink could possibly be bad, right?

My idea was to take the flavors of the classic roasted beet, arugula, goat cheese, and pistachio salad and tweak it a bit. I was concerned that the crepes would only look good and not taste beet-y, but happily they did in fact take on a subtle beet flavor. These would be fun to serve at a lunch or tea ...  or you could just eat a whole pile yourself for a rather piggish snack. Not that I did that.

Mini Beetroot Crepes with Arugula, Goat Cheese, & Ground Pistachio

makes approximately one dozen 6 inch crepes

For the crepe batter:

1 large beet, peeled and shredded 

1/4 - 1/2 cup water

1 cup milk

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

6 ounces baby arugula

drizzle olive oil

squeeze lemon

dash balsamic vinegar

crumbled goat cheese

1/2 cup pistachio nuts, ground in a food processor

To make the crepes, whizz the grated beet and water in a food processor. Strain and press through a sieve or cheesecloth until you have 1/2 cup beet juice.  Combine the wet ingredients (beet juice, milk, beaten eggs, olive oil) in a bowl. Sift the flour and add the salt. Slowly whisk the flour into the liquid. If there are lumps, place the mixture in the food processor until smooth. Refrigerate for 1-3 hours.

Heat a crepe pan over medium high heat. Rub butter on the pan. Take the pan off of the heat and pour a small ladle of batter in the middle, swirling as you do so. The crepe should be about 6 - 7 inches. Place the pan back on the heat and cook until the edges of the crepe look crispy - about a minute. Flip and cook another 30 seconds.

The batter keeps in the fridge for up to 48 hours, so only make as many as you need. You can also freeze extra crepes.

To assemble the crepes, toss the arugula with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and place a small handful, along with the goat cheese, ground pistachio, and a pinch of salt in each crepe. These were so light and good, that I really didn't feel guilty (or too full) after eating 3 ... or 4. Okay, 5. Tops.

Hey - they're little!

Make sure to check out all of the other fabulous creations when Natasha posts the round up on Friday! Just follow the link below.

hosted by 5 Star Foodie & Lazaro Cooks!