And more importantly, where have you been, crepes?
Crepes
That's right. Those sneaky little french pancakes you pay $8 for at the farmer's market. I'm going to show you how to make them. Not only are these little things easy to make, there are few things as tasty, or as versatile.
Equipment
That little wooden rake / smoother thing you've seen used to spread the crepe mixture into a perfect circle? The wide, flat surface the "crepier" cooks the crepe on? Please. All you need is that non-stick frying pan already sitting in your drawer.
Batter
If you can't manage to make this batter from ingredients already in your kitchen, there is something wrong.
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour
2 tbsp butter - melted
This recipe is shamelessly reproduced verbatim from my copy of the Fannie Farmer cookbook. If you don't own a copy, there is also something wrong.
Blend the above ingredients until smooth. Then refrigerate for 30 mins.
That was difficult.
Cooking the Crepe
Heat your pan to medium heat and add some butter to film it. Then pour in about a quarter cup or so of the batter, and tip the pan to spread "evenly".
I say "evenly" because you will come to learn it is a little tricky to get a nice, round, circular crepe. But don't worry, no matter the shape they are still delicious. You want it thin, but don't worry if it seems a little thick. They somehow always turn out.
Except the first one, which inevitably screws up. Feed it to the dog or stuff it in your mouth when no one is looking. Take a learn from it and try again.
You only want to cook them a few minutes each side. I read somewhere that once they start becoming translucent, it's time to flip. I find it's flip-time when the edges start to curl up.
As you make them, hold them in an oven at 200F to keep warm.
Here are my finished crepes. The above recipe yielded 8 this size.
Assembling the Crepe
The greatest thing about crepes is that they are so unbelievably versatile. In this case, I had a bunch of mushrooms in the fridge. So I browned the mushrooms in butter with some onion and garlic to make a savoury crepe filling.
Leftovers, anything you've got in the fridge. If it tastes good, it tastes better inside a warm fresh crepe.
Here are my assembled mushroom and onion crepes. Don't get too fussed about how they look. They might not make the cover of Crepe Monthly, but once you take that first bite you will forget all about how they weren't quite round.
Leftovers
"But what am I to do with all these leftover crepes?"
Are you crazy? For one thing, they freeze really well, stacked and wrapped in foil or plastic. Or, you can do what I did.
Dig some chocolate ice cream out of the freezer and serve with some raspberry jam and maraschino cherries.
You can put damn near anything inside a crepe and you will be eating like a king. Like I said, if it tastes good, it tastes better inside a fresh, warm crepe. And all this while your neighbour is taking a Lean Cuisine out of the microwave.
Enjoy!
Editor's note:
The following night for dinner I warmed the remaining crepes in the oven and wrapped them around sauteed wild atlantic salmon, a little tzatziki, sliced red onion, capers and some shredded nori.
