Crêpes

I served a mission for my church in Belgium and France.  It was one of the best experiences of my life!  While I was there I definitely enjoyed the wonderful foods.  So many good things that I miss!  Chocolate for one.  Too bad I can't whip up a batch.  Something I did learn to make was crêpes.  And if you want to pronounce it correctly...say it with a short "e" sound as in "festival".  I like to make them for special occasions for my family.  I recently made them for our breakfast on Thanksgiving Day.  While crêpes originate from Brittany, a region in the northwest of France, their consumption is nowadays widespread in France and they are considered a national dish.  Crêpes are served with a variety of fillings, from the most simple with only sugar to elaborate savoury fillings.  The fillings I had most often on my mission were fruit spreads (jam), white sugar sprinkled with lemon juice (very good-you only need a little bit of sugar), yogurt (which of course is heavenly in France.  Oh how I miss it!), and of course Nutella.  You must have Nutella.  Of course there are many other fillings but those were the fillings most commonly served to me.  Fruit with whipped cream is yummy as well as cream cheese, ice cream, peanut butter, chocolate sauce, etc.  Then there's always eggs, cheese, vegetables or anything else to make them more of a meal.  This is the recipe I used on my mission.  I've never tried any others because this one works and tastes great!  To cook them I have a special crêpe pan that I bought in Belgium.  It is basically just a really good nonstick pan with 1/2 inch sides.  (See bottom photo.)  This makes it much easier to flip them.  A good, thin, flexible spatula is also handy for turning them.  I never grease my pan and I try to spread the batter as thin as possible.  I cook mine on medium heat.  The first one is usually a flop until the pan reaches the correct temperature but you need one to "sample" anyway so it all works out.  I can usually get about 12-14 out of one batch.  They are really very simple to make and enjoyable to eat!  :o)

Crêpes
 
1 1/2 c. flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. milk
 
Mix dry ingredients. In separate bowl mix eggs, vanilla, oil and milk. Mix about half of the wet ingredients with dry ingredients. Mix and mix with a wire whisk until there are NO lumps! Add rest of wet ingredients. Should be consistency of “melted McDonald’s milkshake”.


In a crepe pan or nonstick skillet, put about a 1/4 cup or less batter in a nonstick skillet and whirl skillet to coat bottom. You want them to be as thin as you possibly can make them. You can even spread it out with a spatula. Cook on first side until bubbles form. Then flip over. This takes practice and usually the first one or two don’t look good. It helps to have a flexible spatula to get underneath them. Cook on second side for just a few sec. Stack cooked crepes right on top of each other on a plate.  Place favorite topping in center and either roll up or fold in quarters. Refrigerate any cooked leftovers. Just cover with plastic wrap.