I have always loved crepes. My Mom used to take me to a crepe restaurant right in the heart of downtown just off Union Square. This was way back in the 70’s, ages before the explosion of crepe places the City has now. I loved the idea of these great little rolled up meals, filled with whatever your heart desired and then you could have one for dessert as well! I make them often, sometimes for breakfast, sometimes for dinner, sometimes just for dessert. We even served an entire course of crepes at our wedding - Thank you EJ for expertly making 400 crepes! I have always basically followed Julia Child’s basic recipe. You can make crepes ahead of time and wrap well to refrigerate or even freeze for later use.
Basic Crepe Recipe
Julia Child - Mastering the Art of French Cooking
1 cup cold Water
1 cup cold Milk
4 Eatwell Farm Eggs
1/2 tsp Salt
2 cups sifted all-purpose Flour
4 TB melted Butter
Vegetable Oil for the pan
6 1/2” to 7” Skillet
Put the liquids, eggs, and slat into the blender jar. Add the flour, then the butter. Cover and blend at top speed for 1 minute. If bits of flours adhere to sides of jar, dislodge with a rubber scraper and blend for 2 to 3 seconds more. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The batter should be a very light cream, just thick enough to coat a wooden spoon. If, after making your first crepe, it seems too heavy, beat in a bit of water, a spoonful at a time. Your cooked crepe should be about 1/16” thick. The first crepe is the trial one to test out the consistency of your batter, the exact amount you need for the pan, and the heat. Brush the skillet lightly with oil. Set over moderately high heat until the pan is just beginning to smoke. Immediately remove from heat. While holding the pan, pour in 1/4 cup of batter into the middle of the pan. Quickly tilt the pan in all directions to run the batter all over the bottom of the pan in a thin film. Pour any extra that does not adhere to the pan back into the bowl. Adjust your portion size for the next crepes accordingly. This whole operation takes about 2-3 seconds. Return the pan to heat for 60 to 80 seconds. Then jerk and toss pan sharply back and forth and up and down to loosen the crepe. Lift its edges with a spatula and if the under side is a nice lightly brown, the crepe is ready for turning. Cook about 1/2 minute on the other side until lightly browned. Slide onto a plate and repeat the process.
Now, what to put in your crepes? The ideas are endless. I love strawberries and other summer fruit with a little mascarpone cheese, cream cheese or yogurt. Top with a touch of maple syrup and whipped cream if you like. Sautéed greens: spinach, kale, chard or even mustard greens are all delicious inside a crepe roll, top with good gruyere cheese. To make it a bit more of a hearty dish add some ham. The following is a recipe for a Tarragon Wine Sauce, use this to top crepes filled with diced cooked chicken and sautéed greens. Plate the filled crepes and top with some of this cream sauce and garnish with minced chives.