Crepes

One of my favorite things to make for breakfast on a weekend morning is a big pile of crepes. Crepes are a French invention but can be found all over the world.  A crepe is a super-thin pancake that can be sweet or savory and is filled with all kinds of delicious things. Sweet crepes can be filled with fruit, jam, Nutella, Greek yogurt, whipped cream, even ice cream as a dessert. Savory crepes are served with sautéd ham, mushrooms, onions, cheese, scrambled eggs or seafood. You can put anything you like inside a crepe. They're also wonderful simply folded or rolled up and topped with honey, maple syrup or cinnamon sugar. If you substitute buckwheat flour for all purpose white flour, your crepes will be gluten free! 

Believe it or not, they're relatively easy to make. You just need the right equipment and a little technique. The most necessary piece of equipment is small non-stick skillet. You could spend a lot of money on a crepe pan specifically made for this task, but a regular old 6 or 8 inch non-stick skillet will work just fine. Don't be a snob about the skillet and think you can use stainless steel or cast iron. Unless you have a non-stick surface, your crepes will stick no matter how much butter or cooking spray you use. Trust me on this one - non-stick is the only way to go.  A small wooden or plastic spatula is also necessary to free the crepes from the pan and flip them.

The recipe for the batter varies based on how you plan to serve your crepes. If you desire savory crepes, leave out the sugar. If you'd like a little spice, add a dash of cayenne pepper. For sweet crepes, you can add vanilla and I also like to grate a little lemon or orange zest into the batter.

RECIPE:

3 large eggs
2 cups of whole milk
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of white sugar
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons of melted butter

The batter can be made in a blender or you can use a hand mixer or a whisk. Beat the eggs and milk together until they're well blended, then sift in the flour, sugar and salt. The batter should be pretty thin but have some body, similar to the consistency of heavy cream. It’s also good to let the batter rest for at least an hour in the fridge before you start making crepes.  In fact, the batter will keep just fine in the fridge for a couple of days. The melted butter is the last thing that goes in before you start making crepes. When you're ready to start making the crepes, put your skillet on the stove over medium heat and drop the butter in the pan. If your pan gets too hot, the crepes will burn. Its important to maintain an even medium heat so your crepes cook evenly. As soon as the butter melts, pour it into the batter and mix it in. The butter that's left in the pan will create the perfect non-stick surface to start making crepes. This is where technique comes into play.

Keep in mind that the first crepe or two will come out funky. These are your test crepes and until the pan is the perfect temperature, your crepes may be uneven. When the remaining butter in the pan begins to bubble slightly, pour a little batter into the pan and tilt the pan around so that the batter covers the entire surface of the pan in a thin layer. The batter begins to set up quickly when it hits the hot pan, so you have to act fast. If you don't have enough batter to cover the surface of the pan, dribble a little bit of batter over the exposed surface. Set the pan back on the stove until you see the edges of the crepe begin to curl and brown slightly. Using the edge of your spatula, gently lift the crepe up and flip it over in the pan. The crepe should be lightly golden brown and resemble the surface of the moon.

Cook the crepe briefly on the other side until it browns slightly, and then turn the crepe out onto a plate. It should not be necessary to butter the pan between each crepe, but every third or fourth crepe, slip a small knob of butter into the pan. If you have too much butter in the pan, you can pour the excess back into the batter. Because they are buttery, you can stack the crepes up as you go and they shouldn't stick together.

I like my crepes with fresh fruit and a little maple syrup. If you want to get fancy, melt a couple tablespoons of butter in the pan, then put in a couple tablespoons of honey and a dash of cinnamon and let them all melt together for a couple of minutes. Drizzle this cinnamon honey butter over the warm crepes and enjoy. This recipe makes a lot of crepes, at least two dozen, but they freeze very well. Wrap whatever you don't eat in plastic wrap and put it in a freezer bag and they'll keep in the freezer for several months. This is a great recipe to impress your house guests. Make these crepes and they'll talk about it like you're a five star chef for years to come. Give them a try; it’s a lot easier than you think.