Les Crêpes
And a world of possibility.
When I was growing up, my family routinely ate crêpes for dinner. My mom would cook them two by two, and we’d enjoy them fresh and hot from the pan. We kept the fillings simple — just bacon and/or cheese for the main course ; and Nutella, sugar, or jam for dessert.
The simplicity of the dinner crêpes was partly why they were so beloved in our household. Looking back though, I also wonder if they bridged the cultural traditions of my mom and dad. My paternal grandma was Dutch, and although my dad never claimed Dutch citizenship, he lived in Holland for a number of years in his youth. There he would have been exposed to the Dutch pannenkoek, a pancake that is similar in diameter to a crêpe, but is thicker and a little heartier than one.
I like to think that our crêpe dinners were a collision of comfort foods for my mom and dad, and now my sister and me. I would just as soon enjoy a pannenkoek for dinner (and I have in Holland), as I would a crêpe. But that’s a post for another day!
Now that I have a family of my own, I’ve been eager to rekindle the dinner crêpes tradition. Recently that came to fruition with grand success (i.e. two kids 5 and under sitting down at the dinner table for longer than 5 minutes). The meal was simple and fun for the four of us, and I reminisced contentedly as I ate.
In hopes that you’ll enjoy your own chance to make crêpes for dinner one night soon, I’m sharing the recipe I inherited from my maternal grandma, Fio (as we knew her). I’ve adapted it for American volume measurements and elaborated a bit on the directions.
Pâte à Crêpes
Whether you’re making sweet or savory crêpes, this batter is universal. The crêpes are luxuriously delicate to bite into, but sturdy enough for just about any filling you can imagine. I’ve been experimenting with some of my favorite toast and tartine toppings, but other fillings could include pizza toppings, lasagna and taco fillings, or any of your favorite cheeses, spreads, sauces, dips, or other condiments. Just have fun! A couple notes on making crêpes: — The 2-hour refrigerated rest of the batter is intentional. As Julia Child notes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, “this allows the flour particles to expand in the liquid and insures a tender, light, thin, crêpe”. Please don’t skip this step. — Your first crêpe will be a test of a few variables: the consistency of your batter, how much batter you’ll need for your pan, and how hot your stove should be. If you find you batter to be too thick (i.e. your first crêpe turns out thicker than you’d like) you can thin it with a little water or milk. I’ve given estimates in the recipe on how much batter you’ll need for a couple of different pan sizes. Timed appropriately, you can also add more batter to the pan or pour excess out if necessary. And if your crêpes are lighter or darker than you’d like, adjust your heat accordingly. You are the best judge of how your stove works.
Active Time: 20 minutes Inactive Time: 2 hours (or longer, depending on your schedule) Total time: 2 hours 20 minutes Yield: four 10" to 11" crêpes, or seven or eight 8" to 9" crêpes Ingredients 255g (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) milk 100g (3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 30g (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter 1. Heat the milk until warm to the touch in the microwave or on the stove. Set aside. 2. Sift the flour and salt into a medium to large bowl and make a well in the center. 3. Add the eggs to the well and stir with a spatula until evenly incorporated *The batter will be stiff and lumpy at this stage. 4. Pour in the milk in three or four additions, gently whisking or stirring to incorporate between each addition. 5. Melt the butter then whisk or stir it into the batter until homogenous.
6. Cover the batter, and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or as long as overnight. *The batter will separate in the fridge, so you'll want to whisk or stir it again briefly before using it. 7. When you're ready to make your crêpes, set a large (9" to 12"), shallow, non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Grease the pan with a little cooking spray or oil. *The shallower the sides of your pan are, the easier it'll be to maneuver your crêpes. *I don't recommend butter for greasing the pan because of its low smoke point. 8. When the pan just starts to smoke, use your dominant hand to hold it by the handle up and away from the heat. With your other hand, pour about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of batter into the center of the hot pan. Immediately begin tilting the pan in a circular motion to distribute the batter into a thin, even layer across the bottom. *As an estimate, you'll use about 1/4 cup of batter for an 8" to 9" pan and about 1/2 cup for an 11" to 12" pan. *If you don't have enough batter, simply pour in a little more. If you have too much batter, you can pour the excess back in with the remaining batter.
9. Place the pan back on the heat and cook the crêpe until the bottom has a lacy, golden brown pattern — about one minute. 10. Flip the crêpe gently with your fingers or a spatula.
11. Cook the second side of the crêpe until it just barely starts to turn golden in spots — about 30 seconds. 12. Slide the crêpe from the pan onto a large plate. 13. Repeat steps 7 through 12 until you have used all of the batter. 14. Serve the crêpes immediately or keep them covered with a dish towel or overturned plate in a warm (200°F) oven. Keep leftover cooked crêpes well wrapped at room temperature for up to 24 hours; in the refrigerator for several days; or in the freezer for about a month. Reheat them gently in a warm pan.
Just as the options for filling crêpes are limitless, so too are the ways to serve them. You can stack them into a sweet or savory gâteau; roll them around a sweet or savory filling, “gratinées” them; or even flambé them.
My kids enjoy their crêpes simply with cheese, quesadilla-style — or triangle-folded or rolled up with Nutella of course. I’m partial to eating them the way “les galettes complètes” are served in Brittany.
If you’d like to try the complète for yourself, I suggest you also give this recipe for Buckwheat Galettes a go (you’ll see the tip for incorporating the cheese, ham, and egg at the bottom of the recipe); it’s one I worked on several years ago. The buckwheat flour complements the savory, salty flavors phenomenally well.
That’s it from me on crêpes for today. But the options I listed above are giving me many more ideas for future recipes. Come back here and please share with a friend if you’re enticed!
This is actually a dish my husband and I can make in our camper. We don't have an oven or microwave so anything we make has to be stovetop, and for some reason, crêpes never crossed my mind (even though I lived in France!). It would be a wonderful thing to make and enjoy either savory for dinner or sweet as a treat. Thank you for the idea and recipes!