I would rather forgo dessert if it meant that I could have that extra bite or two of steak. Except crepes. I love the versatility of such a simple food. It is a vessel for countless flavor combinations. It can be both savory and sweet, served at room temperature and made way in advance.
On a trip to Paris, I tried a very simple butter and sugar crepe straight from a street vendor. It was delicious. He poured the runny batter straight onto the hot round griddle and using an offset spatula, deftly spread it into an almost 16-inch, paper-thin round. With a quick hand, he spread some butter and sprinkled some sugar and folded it into a rectangle. Handed to you warm, the first bite is heavenly. It was so light and being so thin made it crispy. As you bit into it, you could tell that the sugar was just beginning to melt so you got both the crunch (from the whole sugar granules) and the sweet syrup (from the melted sugar). Butter and sugar is a very basic flavor combination. Most cookie and cake recipes start by creaming these two ingredients.
Here is a recipe for crepes that I like to use:
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
Sift flour, salt and nutmeg. Whisk milk and eggs in a bowl and gradually whisk into the flour mixture. Force batter through a sieve into a bowl. Don’t skip this step nor do it half way by merely straining the liquid and not forcing the batter through. Forcing the batter through the sieve not only takes out the lumps, which will show in such a thin batter, but will give you the correct amount of flour needed to give you a proper crepe versus a thin omelet.
Heat a skillet over high heat and brush lightly with melted butter. Pour the batter into the pan and immediately swirl the pan to spread the batter evenly. Cook until the underside is lightly browned, loosen the crepe with a spatula (I use an offset spatula) and flip. Allow it to sit until the crepe is cooked through. Transfer to a plate till ready to use.
Ideally, this recipe makes around 15-16 crepes. I always ruin the first three. Always. There is a rhythm to it that I can get to after the ruined first three. Plan your recipe accordingly. Swirling the pan can be tricky. I often take the pan off the heat if I find that the batter is setting too fast and I still have that unfilled hole in the middle the crepe. You can also make this way in advance and stack them directly on top of each other. Wrapped properly, it can last a week in the fridge.
Once you have the crepes all done, sky is the limit. Enjoy.
Great flavor combinations:
- crepes + nutella
- crepes + raspberry jam + chocolate sauce
- crepes + apples + cinnamon + warm caramel sauce
- crepes + lemon curd + blueberries (or any berries)
- crepes + homemade orange marmalade
What is your favourite combination?
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