Crêpes

 

I'm finding I'm really good at coming in late for time-appropriate recipes like say crêpes for instance, for the holidays and such.  But ya know what, crêpes are delicious anytime, even on say, a Wednesday. 

For dinner.  For breakfast.  Brunch.  A snack.  These things are glorious.

And truly, I will not kid, they are a snap to make.  And no fancy equipment required.  Seriously.  Stop snickering.

For the longest time, I thought they were difficult.  Mainly because I tried to make them and they were always, heh, quite the fail.

But really they're actually super easy and I'm not yanking your chain.

I know, right?, you can have a fancy French-ish related meal that will impress everyone!

As a wee one is where my enchantment began with crêpes.  I distinctly remember once when I was that wee youngin, my mom making them for dinner guests, or something, ok, I don't remember the exact occasion but those crêpes were etched, just etched, into my memory.

She had a sitter scheduled, I remember that. 

Anyway, she made crêpes.  And she filled them with chocolate pudding.

Oh my word.  That was sheer heaven.  I, I was speechless.  I think I still am.

I'm not an egg fan, can't eat them scrambled or over easy or whatever or at all but I do love me that soft eggy texture you get with crêpes, or profiteroles, or sweet rolls, along those lines.  As close to eating eggs as I get.  And I loooove it.  Looove.

I seek that same kind of texture in soft breads too, or I should say I'm always seeking that kind of pull apart soft eggy texture in something like a dinner roll or similar.  One of these days I'll hit on that perfect dinner roll recipe.

But good heavens.  Crêpes with chocolate pudding?  I was over the moon.  And seeking that same crêpe joy forever since.

When I met Mike, he had a crêpe maker,* the kind of gizmo you plug in, it looked like a tennis racket with a small surface that was convex.  Honestly, not sure why he had this as knowing him as I do, it doesn't seem something he'd make.

Well, I tried it.  A couple of times.  Because I always failed prior plus kept always hearing one needed a very specific type of pan.  I gave up.  Temporarily, I should say.  The crêpe pull is strong with me though.

Somehow that crêpe maker vanished over time and I kinda resigned myself to restaurant crêpes forevermore. 

Until I found this recipe.  You don't need any fancy equipment at all, no plug-in thing, no weird little tools that get lost, just a skillet.  Besides, single use tools like a maker just take up valuable household space.

Personally, I use a non-stick skillet.  Remember:  I dislike cooking tremendously and anything that makes my life easier when I have to do it is a boon.   For this recipe, you need an 8" skillet,* and preferably non-stick in fact.

So an eight inch non-stick skillet and a little twisty wrist action and you're golden.  I promise!

You don't have to fill these with chocolate pudding though I highly highly, highly recommend it.  That Blueberry Sauce works wonderfully.  A sauté of apples is my go-to, for breakfast anyway. 

You can leave out the sugar and make them savory.  You can make a slew of crêpes and make a crêpe cake for goodness sake.

Now, I use a food processor* for this but you could use a blender* or if you're appliance-free, no worries, a whisk* will do the job.  I'm partial to those flat circle coil type whisks,* whatever they're called, as they cut whisking time by easily half.

Toss the first few ingredients into the food processor and whirl.

Toss in the flour.  Whirl.

Yeah.

That's it.

One hang up with this is that the batter needs to sit.  Ideally approximately an hour.  I know, that sucks.  

You can go less time, like thirty minutes; fifteen maybe at the very very least but don't.  You can prepare this a day or two days before and refrigerate the mix, giving it a good whisk before use.  There are ways around that hour.

The flour needs to hydrate, that's why.  And the gluten needs to relax.  I would too after being in a food processor.

Hot idea:  try buttermilk instead of milk.  *eyebrows raising*  Add a dash of vanilla extract, or almond extract....I'm dyin' over here.

Anyway!

Ok, so heat up your skillet, melt up some butter and with a pastry brush* or just a paper towel, lightly coat the pan with a thin layer.  Hot tip:  try using browned butter, oooOooh. 

I know, I know, you're not supposed to preheat a non-stick skillet but you're only doing it very briefly here.

With a quarter cup measuring cup,* pour some batter into the pan mostly into the middle or maybe a small three inch diameter circle.  Don't measure that, just pour.

Swirl the batter quickly around the pan to get it spread out to the edges, the part before it turns up into the sides, then place the pan on the stove.
 

It won't take long here, maybe at best thirty, forty five seconds.  Look for the batter to appear set, some bits of browning going on underneath and along the edges, and the crepe releases from the pan easily. 

Flip* it and cook for another oh, fifteen, thirty seconds or so, until there are more brown spots.  Brown as little or as much as you'd like but avoid going too brown as you'll lose that eye-flutteringly eggy texture.

Flipped crêpe, ready for cooking on side two.

And that is it.  Yeah.

Side two isn't as pretty so make this your inside.

Just keep going with the rest.  A swipe of butter, batter, flip, repeat.

Stack the crêpes on a plate to keep them warm.

Yum to the yum yum yum.

When you're ready to serve, toss a crêpe on a plate, fill it to your heart's desire, and fold or roll it up.

En. Freakin'. Joy. 

*Curtsy.*  You're welcome.

(FYI:  if you are unable to see the recipe card below, please contact me.  You will be paid for your time in assisting to resolve the issue.  Thanks!)

*The crêpe makers, skillets, food processors, blenders, whisks, flat coil type whisks, pastry brushes, measuring cups, and spatulas are Amazon affiliate links.  Happy baking, thanks!  Please see the "info" tab for more, well, info.