We love making sweet crêpes at home for breakfast... folded into half or quarters in a pan of melted butter & caramelized sugar. We like to add apples, oranges, berries or bananas 'Crêpes Suzette' style for very special breakfasts.
I like to prepare savory crêpes filled with seafood, chicken and vegetable fillings. For holidays I prepare manicotti, savory crêpes filled with ricotta, egg, romano & mozzarella cheeses.
I remember learning to make crêpes at the CIA using a small, square of pork fat for the pans. I was able to cook with five pans at a time and I remember being very hot & having very burnt fingers when I was done...
and also feeling very proud.
Crêpes a la Reine was the first crepe recipe I learned as a young, CIA student in 1980's...
We didn't eat many crêpesgrowing up in New Jersey...
Crepes
Crêpes originated in the Brittany region of northwestern France, where thin pancakes made from buckwheat (sarrasin) were a practical staple rather than a luxury. These early crêpes were typically savory, filled with eggs, cheese, or ham, and traditionally paired with hard cider in Brittany.
Years ago, I visited an old castle in Brittany that had been converted into a small restaurant, perched just beyond the shoreline—reachable only by a narrow stone walkway extending into the surf. We enjoyed savory buckwheat crêpes and cider as the tide slowly crept in, and then had to rush back to shore as the rising water began to cover the path, a reminder of how closely gastronomy is tied to geograpy, culture, tradition, and rhythm of the sea.
Wheat flour crêpes became more common and were associated with sweeter preparations, especially as sugar became more accessible. Crêpes eventually spread beyond France, evolving into both street food and refined restaurant fare.
Prep Time: 2o min
Cooking Time: 20 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients for Crêpes
1 Cup AP flour
2 ea Eggs, cracked & whisked
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
t.t. Black pepper
1 1/2 C Milk
1 Tbsp Butter, lightly salted (melted)
1 Tbsp Fresh Italian parsley, chopped (chives, tarragon etc)
4 Tbsp Butter (melted)
How to Prepare Crêpes
Step 1
Sift the flour into a bowl & add the eggs, salt & pepper. Whisk gently and continue to whisk while slowly drizzling in the milk, creating a smooth batter.
Step 2
Add the melted butter and strain into a container, cover with plastic & rest for an hour. I like to lightly brown the butter for added flavor.
The crêpe batter should be smooth and slightly thicker than cream, add a little milk or water to thin out if too thick. Add the parsley.
Step 3
Heat a crêpes pan or teflon pan to medium heat, it's best to have all of the equipment you'll need near the pan you'll be cooking with
The batter should be thick enough to coat the back of the ladle. You can easily thin out the batter with a splash of milk-if the batter is too thin, place a tbsp of AP flour into a separate bowl and slowly whisk in the batter to avoid lumps-this thickens the batter.
Add a very small amount of butter or oil spray to the pan, making sure to coat all of the bottom and lower side of the pan.
With one hand holding the pan, ladle a portion of the batter into the pan, swirling to cover the entire bottom surface of the pan. It is very helpful to use a 1 oz ladle or the ladle size necessary to coat the size of the pan you are using.
Tilt the pan so the side to get all of the batter to coat the bottom of the pan.
This is a recipe made without straining the batter; note the two spots of flour on the left. This can easily be picked out with a small spoon-but it demonstrates the importance of straining and adjusting the viscosity of the batter.
Cook for about 1 minute and flip with a rubber spatula. You'll see the sides peeling up (as in this picture) when it's time to flip.
(I prefer to flip with my fingers to avoid tearing the delicate crepes). Cook for about 1 more minute and lay out onto a clean towel or parchment.
Repeat until all of the batter is used and cover with a second clean towel to cool the crepes for 20 minutes.
Crepes can be refrigerated or frozen.
