A simple, yet elegant dessert.
By Angie Chavez
A little history for you. The origins of the crepe date back to the 13th century Brittany France. It is said that a housewife in Brittany accidentally spilled some thin porridge on a hot flat stove and this mishap came to be what we now call a crepe. These thin crispy pancakes can be made either savory or sweet, filled or topped. Eating a crepe is truly like eating French history.
Imagine walking down the cobblestone streets of Paris past cafes, bistros, and boulangeries. Just outside a cafe stands a cart with a woman making crepes! They smelled so wonderful! Before taking a trip to Paris, I had thought that crepes were only eaten off of a plate and that they were only for dessert! Who knew?!! This skilled woman made the most tender crepes and filled them with a whole gamut of fillings. I didn’t even know what Nutella was until this awesome trip to Paris. (By the way, Nutella and bananas or strawberries, or both, are something you need to try!) She would then fold them in quarters and place them on a piece of waxed paper and hand it to you. Piping hot, the crepe warmed my hand on that cold morning. While waiting for my crepe, I noticed that she had a newspaper clipping attached to her cart. A writer from the San Francisco Chronicle had done a story on her. They were incredible crepes. She inspired me to get a crepe pan, crepe recipe book and a spatula (there is no way I could use that wood spatula to turn over the crepes like her.) She made it look effortless. Of course, my crepes did not come out like hers, but I tried!
Fast forward a couple of years when I met my husband, Chef Joe. I was on a mission to find the perfect crepe recipe. I even tried making a crepe cake. Luckily for me, Chef Joe likes finding recipes and trying them out. Our family gets the benefit of amazing food cooked for us every day. Chef Joe came up with this recipe and tweaked it a bit to get it to it’s glory today.
Now, don’t get intimidated. You don’t have to have a crepe pan, but it does help to have the shallow sides. You can use a non-stick skillet instead. This recipe makes 8 crepes, but if you are like me, the first one will be a taste tester. We hope you enjoy making the crepes! We would love to see a photo of your crepes!
Equipment
- stove
- saucepan
- 2 oz ladle
- food processor
- crepe pan or non-stick skillet
- spatula
- Bowl
- Measuring Cup
- measuring spoon
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup flour all purpose
- 3 tbsp butter melted
- 1 tsp vanilla leave out if making savory crepes
- 1 tsp sugar leave out if making savory crepes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- cooking spray
Instructions
- If making savory crepes, leave out the vanilla and sugar.
- Put all of the ingredients into a food processor.
- Blend for about 45 seconds.
- Pour batter into a bowl.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours before using.
- Heat crepe pan, or non-stick skillet, to just above medium heat.
- Spray the pan with cooking spray.
- Pour 2 ounces of batter into crepe pan, or skillet.
- When you see brown spider web shaped pattern on the crepe, flip the crepe over.
- Once you see a brown spider web shaped pattern on the other side, transfer crepe to a plate.
- Spray the pan with cooking spray again for the next crepe.
- Fill crepe with desired fillings.
- Roll or fold crepes.
- If you want, you can make a sauce to pour over the crepes.