Dessert Recipe: Crepes

So part of this blog was supposed to explore my love of dessert making, but I haven't yet posted any recipes. One of my favorite recipes in the world is also one of the easiest and comes from someone who created a great web page that will walk you through the motions of crepe making in a great, encouraging way:

Crepe-making or How to Use a Jar of Nutella in One Morning

You will need only the most basic ingredients to make the crepes themselves--the filling is a bit more exciting:

4 eggs
Pinch of salt
2 cups of flour
2.25 cups of milk
1/2 stick of melted butter (equal to a quarter cup)

The website, you will notice, has some helpful pictures and is fairly specific about the order in which you combine the ingredients. I myself am not that careful and haven't had any problems just tossing everything together. One thing I have noticed however is that sometimes the butter will start separating itself out if the batter has been left to sit. This isn't an indication of any spoilage or anything, just that you want to be vigilant about making sure all the ingredients are properly combined so you don't have any issues when you cook.

In actually making the crepe, me and M. Roy differ a bit in our techniques. I have a 10 inch pan and, maybe it's because I'm inefficient but I generally need about a 1/3 cup of batter in order to get the whole surface coated. But the operative word is "coated"--you don't want a thick layer of batter. You want it to be thin enough that when the batter starts to dry out a little bit on top, you can see some of the lacy pattern forming at the bottom.

If your pan is at a good temperature (I prefer it between medium and medium high), your crepe will start to dry out almost immediately--for me, each crepe takes about 45 seconds to make. Your first crepe will likely be too soggy or too dark/crispy. Just take that as a test-crepe and use it to figure out what temperature works best for you.

Then, it's easy as pie (or easier really): pour batter around pan, swirl pan around until the bottom is coated, wait until top is dry, flip over and finish cooking, then put crepe on a plate for future (or imminent) consumption. Pretty easy. M. Roy's recipes usually yields me about 16-20 crepes.

Now for the filling. My favorite options are:

--Nutella and Bananas
--Dulce de Leche and Bananas
--Mandarin Oranges
--Strawberries and Whipped Cream
--Berry medley (blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, can be bought frozen from Trader Joe's) and Whipped Cream

What if you prefer a savory crepe to a sweet one? No fret. Try:

--Hardboiled eggs and a Mexican cheese blend (try Sargento's) and a tiny bit of salt
--Asparagus and Cheddar Cheese
--Mushrooms and Cheddar Cheese

Basically, cheese tastes amazing on crepes. I would recommend a softer, sweeter cheese on your crepes. Somehow, the idea of goat cheese or bleu cheese strikes me as a little strange (though I suppose if you added some sun-dried tomatoes to the goat cheese, that could be doable). But I recommend you raid your fridge and cupboards--odds are, you will find something that will be lovely with your crepes.

Bonne chance.