Crepes

There are many culinary Swiss army knives in most cooks’ kitchen; recipes or ingredients that can be used in an infinite number of ways. 

But I can’t think of one that can be used in more ways than the crepe. 

Delectably thin and elegantly clothed in brown and cream crackle lace the crepe makes the transition from breakfast to dinner as easily as it waltzes from casual dining to the fanciest of parties. 

Neatly folded, stacked, stuffed, or just arranged, the crepe brings to mind a certain elegance. And no culture is without its own unique recipe. 

Dressed up or dressed down, from Iceland to Australia the whole world eats them.

For me, crepes have always been the stuff of special events. Called blinchiki in Russian I remember them best served besides brimming bowl of iridescent caviar; their mildly sweet taste the perfect foil to the caviars nutty tang. 

As I grew they transitioned from black tie to the every day in my mother’s Italian restaurant where they served as the basis for manicotti and cannelloni. Thin skins barely containing thick fillings. I would make by the dozens, sitting for hours over the electric griddle as I made three perfect circles at a time. One portion.

But somehow, they never lost their appeal. It was always a treat to sneak a couple off the stack… maybe a couple of the irregular ones… and brush them with a little bit of butter before baking them crisp. Of course it didn’t always stop with butter. Sometimes a little bit of cinnamon and sugar would find their way, baking to a thin lacy crust that crunched so temptingly against the teeth, giving way to the slight chew of thin dough. 

I have had them so many ways. They are one of those things that I cannot resist when I see them on a menu. I have had them with ham and cheese in France, with Nutella in Italy, with chicken and mushrooms in Solvang, and with everything and everywhere in between. 

But still, I think I prefer them plain. Preferably stolen right off the skillet. Hot, crisp, and just a smidge too chewy in the middle… of course that might just be because stolen food always tastes better. Especially when you can steal it before being heartily thwapped with a large wooden spoon.

Eenjoy crepes for themselves. And given the choice I treat them simply. A little sour cream, a little jam and maybe the lightest dusting of powdered sugar.

The thing about crepes that scares most people… what makes them only order crepes at disproportionately expensive restaurants… is the fear of crepe failure. That horrible sinking feeling you get when instead of producing a paper thin ethereal disk you produce something more suited to a Rorschach test. 

Unfortunately, most of us don’t have any desire to make several thousand crepes to get it perfect. 

Fortunately, you don’t have to! 

There are two tricks to making impressive crepes: 

1. A thin enough batter

2. Artistic crepe folding 

If the batter is thin enough the crepe can be folded, tucked, rolled and pursed in any way imaginable to hide even the most egregious of imperfections. And if that’s not enough, it can then be smothered in sauce and cheese. 

It is nearly impossible to get it wrong. 

And of course the imperfect ones can be frozen for later, more appropriate disposal. 

By the way, a really fun thing to do for a brunch or tea is to make up a stack and put them next to little bowls of filling to let everyone make their own. This required very little prep time and everybody loved it. 

Crepes
 
3 eggs
1 – 1 ½ cups flour
1 – 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional) 

In a medium bowl, crack the eggs. Add the milk and whisk until incorporated. 

Add 1 cup of the flour. Mix well then add the rest of the ingredients. If a savory crepe is desired use 1 tablespoon of sugar or omit all together. For sweet crapes use vanilla and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix well. 

The batter should be thin, the consistency of cream. If it is too thick, add milk a table spoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. If too thin, add flour, mixing between each addition. 

Allow to rest for a minimum of 1 hour. Stir again and adjust consistency. 

Heat a 9 inch omelet pan on medium heat. Brush with butter and add a quarter cup of the batter. Swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. There should be just enough batter to coat. Adjust as necessary. 

Cook for 2-3 minutes until the edges begin to brown and the top side is no longer wet. Flip and cook on the bottom for a further 2 minutes or until desired color is reached.

Flip into a paper towel lined plate. 

Serve: any way you can imagine!

Comments

[Stephanie]

Yum! Crepes are such a beautiful stand-by. You're making me hungry - I think I know what I'll be making for afternoon tea tomorrow!

[Kitarra]

Stephanie,

That is my goal! Tempt people!

Thank you!

[Ramya]

liked your recipe .did you see my comment for your earlier posting summer sunsets?.

[Cereselle]

I fell in love with crepes in Paris on our honeymoon. Now that I have a bag full of lemons, I want to make crepes and top them with lemon syrup, fresh lemon juice mixed with sugar.

[Kitarra]

Ramya,

I am sorry I didn't get your comment till jus tnow. TypePad didn't forward it to my e-mail. Thank you so much!

Cereselle,

OOOO! Lemon syrup! Yummm! Or lemon curd! That would be beautiful with crepes! Now I am gonna have to make up a batch to try that!

[Kitchen Queen]

I've been thinking of writing an ode to crepes myself, but you did such a great job I don't think I can top it! The only thing I'd have to add is a gluten-free variation I found that works really well....my daughter loves to help me cook crepes, especially when they're ones she can eat. Thank you for a wonderful how-to on such a lovely creation!

[Kitarra]

Kitchen Queen,

Awwww! Thank you! If you don't mind I would LOVE to have your recipe for gluten-free crepes as I have friends who, like your daughter are alergic to gluten. Making crepes is so much fun, I am glad to be able to share the recipe. I don't think enough people make them!

[Kitchen Queen]

Thank you for giving me a good reason to make a batch! :-) And of course you're right, not nearly enough people enjoy crepes.

[Mel]

I ate crepes rolled with lox (unsmoked, I think) for breakfast when I was in Russia. My host mother made bliny with sour milk, and I've never quite managed to recreate them since (can't find really good lox in the U.S., either). Crepes really are amazingly versatile.

[Kitarra]

Mel - My mom usually makes her own. She takes a whole salmon, places it on a thin bed of salt then salts the insides and the outsides and then puts it under pressure in the refrigerator. She usually places a board on top of the fish and then weighs it down with cans and pots and leaves it there for a week or so. It produces the kind of lox you ate.

And yeah it is really hard to recreate the taste because you can't get the ingredients. Your host mother probably used kifir which is a kind of thin yogurt that is favored in Russia. If you live around LA or NY there are russian stores that sell all of this stuff and a great deal more!