Basic Crepe Recipe

A few years back my sister-n-law was so kind to buy us a crepe pan. My first question was “You need a special pan to make crepes?” Indeed you do, and I have tried making crepes both with the pan and with a different pan, and the crepe pan yields great results. I often make crepes during the holiday season, or during a long weekend, and this was one of those times.

The great thing about the crepe is how diverse it can be. You can make sweet or savory crepe, and stuff it with all sorts of things, ranging from fruit, to ham, or asparagus. Due to the fact that my kids love pancakes, I thought what a better time to make the batter ahead of time, and have it ready for a special Sunday morning breakfast. There are only a couple of things to make a great crepe, and that is not only the pan, but also the smooth batter, almost like heavy cream. Don’t worry too much, this is really easy to make, and you will have a French dish on your plates in no time.

NOTE: Make the batter ahead of time, preferably the night beforehand, but a least 2 hours in advance.

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup of water
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp amaretto extract
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tbsp of unsalted butter, melted for coating the crepe pan

I think the best results for making this batter is to use a blender, pulsing just until smooth. You can use a bowl and whisk, but use a blender if you can.  Toss everything in the blender. The goal is to get a smooth batter with no lumps. When you are ready to make the crepes, heat up the crepe pan on medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and brush on the melted butter to coat the pan. Next get a small ladle, roughly 3-4 tablespoons of the batter, and add to the pan, using your wrist to tilt and rotate the pan to get a nice even coating on the pan. Return the pan to the heat and cook for about one minute on one side. You will notice that the edges will begin to lightly brown. This is the time to get your spatula ready, or if you are like me, flip to toss.  Turn the crepe and cook for about 20 seconds on the other side. Repeat this process with the remaining batter.

You have options at this point in time. To serve immediately, or begin to stack and serve for a bit later. If you go the latter route, place them on aluminum foil, and cover, and place in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve.

When you are ready to serve, roll them up in into cigarette shape. I sprinkle powdered sugar, cinnamon, and drizzle with maple syrup. Seems to be a really big hit at my breakfast table, and hopefully yours as well. Enjoy.