Cooking Fresh: Basic Crepes Recipe

Sure, you have waffles, and pancakes, and French toast, but can you fill them with Nutella and strawberries? Or cream cheese and jam? Or peanut butter and banana? OK, I guess you can, but trust me when I say that these things are better in a crepe. Topped with whipped cream and berries. Drizzled with chocolate. Or melted peanut butter. Drool.

The crepe is to a pancake what the thin crust is to pizza dough. It is a flattened, skinny pancake. It is made of basic ingredients: eggs, milk, flour, butter, and salt. What could go wrong? Well, crafting the perfect crepe takes a little patience and practice. Think of how you pour pancake batter into a pan. Cut the amount you would pour in half and rather than letting it spread on its own, you have to tip the pan around to spread the batter so that it covers the entire surface in a thin layer. Use a big spatula to quickly flip it to the other side when ready, and there you have it. A delicious crepe.

Basic Crepes
(from page 10 of Cooking Fresh with The Old Farmer’s Almanac)

3 eggs
3 cups milk
3 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for the pan
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt

• In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and butter and beat until smooth. Add the flour and salt and stir to blend.
• Cover the bowl with a plate and refrigerate the batter for 1 hour.
• Warm an omelet pan, crepe pan, or small skillet over medium-high heat until a sprinkling of water sizzles when dropped onto its surface. Brush the pan lightly with melted butter.
• Pour in just enough chilled batter to cover the bottom of the pan. Slowly swirl the pan to distribute the batter evenly around the edges.
• Cook until the crepe is lightly browned on the bottom and the top is dry.
• Turn the crepe over and cook the other side for 20 to 30 seconds, or until lightly browned.
• Stack the crepes between sheets of wax paper and cover with a clean dish towel until ready to fill and serve.

Makes 12 to 16 crepes.

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