French Crepes
I should know how crepes should be made as I have eaten more than my fair share at roadside cafes in Paris and in Dinan and in Strasbourg, France, in Creperie cafes and in French farmer's kitchens. And I know that I like them best with just granulated sugar inside, while my children like the banana and Nutella filling. And I know that those French chefs that come to the trade as part of their birthright make them on a large round flat griddle, pour the batter on and smooth it in a circular motion with a handled wooden dowel. And I know that you don't have to know any of this to make great crepes!
In fact all you have to know is how to create a thin smooth batter, which one of your non-stick skillets is the right size and how to execute the perfect swivel to allow the batter to run smoothly over the bottom of the pan. One of my proudest moments was when my husband's French friends told me that my crepes were better than her mothers!
Having loved all things French after living in Paris for two years, my husband was pleased when I tried my hand at the delicately thin "pancake" and declared them a triumph. That ability grew into a bit of a monster as my children asked for them almost daily for breakfast. It still hasn't stopped, and now my grandson requests them daily for breakfast with cinnamon sugar.
Even our dog was a raving fan. While hurriedly preparing 100 crepes for a school event where we served them with ice cream and toppings, I left 30 in a stack in the kitchen as I ran an errand, and returned to find that our puppy had eaten the entire plate of crepes. I learned a dog could survive that. I also learned that indeed I could whip up another batch and cook them in under 30 minutes - but you should have seen the kitchen after, egg shells and spilled milk festooned the counters and cupboards.
My point is, crepes are a creation you can easily master and enjoy without any fancy contraptions to help you! But if you'd rather not, you can buy them already made and perhaps spare yourself the burden of homemade ones becoming a family favorite. Either way, this is a great crepe recipe to try. And once you’ve flipped a lovely, golden crepe, you’re entitled to feel proud of yourself and eat the first one yourself!
Easy French Crepes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
2 cups milk (or more if needed to create a thin batter)
3 tablespoons butter
-In a mixing bowl or blender (or by hand with a whisk, combine flour, salt, sugar, eggs and milk. Beat well until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium size, non-stick skillet, with an 8 - 10 inch flat surface. Beat the melted butter into the batter. Blend or whisk until smooth. (Batter should be the consistency of a thin pancake syrup and should spread quickly and easily to cover the bottom of the skillet. If it doesn't, mix in more milk.)
-Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the same skillet over medium high heat and spread evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into hot skillet as you swirl the pan with your other hand, until the batter evenly covers the bottom of the pan. Place over medium-high heat and cook about 2 minutes, until the top appears dry. Turn the crepe over with a spatula and cook on the other side an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute. Invert onto plate and allow to cool.
-Serve crepes with various fillings such as, granulated sugar, fresh berries, jam, Nutella, banana slices, peanut butter, whipped cream, lemon curd, powdered sugar, etc.
Pour batter in a thin stream, as you rotate the skillet to cover the bottom.
Cook over medium-high heat until batter looks dry.
Turn crepe and cook the other side an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Allow crepes to cool and serve with Nutella and banana slices, granulated sugar and other fillings.
Fresh berries slightly sweetened make a delicious filling for crepes.
Roll up crepes with filling insides and dust crepe roll with powdered sugar.
