Today, homemade c-r-e-p-e-s spell b-r-u-n-c-h.

While most any other time of the year I lean more toward get togethers via BBQs and dinner parties, sometime between Easter and Mother’s Day my cravings for celebrating with brunch hit an all-time high.

I love my go-to brunch favorites Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole and Banana and Chocolate Chip Baked French Toast because they’re just so dang easy to have done beforehand.

But I think it’s a lot more fun when all hands are on deck, so breakfast and brunch become a little more DIY.

Let’s DIY-ify a Brunch

For my DIY brunch, I shopped about Farmers Market and found a bevy of breakfast vittles. From Minnesota’s Eichten Farm’s Rise ‘n Shine Breakfast Assortment to who can say “no” to South Carolina’s Callie’s Pantry Box with biscuits and Bloody Mary mix in the lot? It was hard to pull away from that one.

But knowing I was in search of a hands-on DIY brunch, I was stoked to find California’s own Ventura County-based Lourdes Gourmet Bordeaux Gift Crate (bonus! delivered in a recycled wooden champagne crate that I’ll definitely be saving for future use) because it had both savory and sweet fillings that paired perfectly with the homemade c-r-e-p-e-s.

My wooden crate came filled with Lourdes Gourmet’s Sweet Mango Spread, Guava Jam, Coconut Spread and Dulce de Leche sauce balanced out with herby Chimichurri and spicy Pineapple Jalapeño jelly. Plus 1 wheel of swiss, 1 wheel of brie plus almonds and crackers to make for a completely snackable set.

Fillings galore! Now, the fun begins when I started assembling the extra ingredients to add to the Lourdes spreads for stuffing into the homemade crepes.

But my Farmers Market delivery was just the beginning. I assembled a bunch of additional toppers to mix and match. Try as many as you like or choose your own:

SWEET

Fresh berries, like strawberries, raspberries, pomegranate seeds or blueberries
Fresh fruit like bananas, kiwi, pineapple or star fruit
Coconut flakes or granola
Chocolate covered cocoa nibs or chocolate chips
Whipped cream sweetened with powdered sugar and vanilla
Nuts like almonds, pistachios, macadamias or pecans
Maple syrup or hot fudge
Powdered sugar

SAVORY

Soft cheeses like brie, goat cheese, ricotta or boursin
Fresh herbs like basil, mint and chives
Sauteed mushrooms, spinach and caramelized onions
Stewed chicken or pulled pork
Peanut or almond butter

Mix and match the flavors and toppings for mouth popping bites that will make building your own breakfast…actually…dare we say, FUN.

Here are some of the combinations I created. Now let’s see where your cravings lead you.

Brie, pineapple jalapeño jelly and fresh berries

Dulce de leche, coconut spread, cocoa nibs and coconut flakes

Coconut spread, fresh berries, whipped cream and powdered sugar

Guava jam, coconut spread, flaked coconut

Goat cheese, chimichurri spread, mango spread, almonds, fresh basil

Now, How About Those Crepes

One of the things I love most about crepes is I can serve them at room temperature. So I can make them the night before. So I’m not in a frenzied rush finishing up my cooking duties when my brunch pals arrive.

You can use either a specialty crepe pan (and look like a serious pro with this one) or be like me and use a 7-inch, non-stick egg fry pan with just a scant, scant bit of butter with each crepe. Pour the batter in one fell swoop and rotate the pan so the batter sits evenly in the pan.

I have a gas stove and medium heat is my crepe making happy spot. With a little practice, you’ll find yours. And don’t flip those babies until they’ve nearly completely set on the top then one flip is all they need.

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