Crepes, wait, are those the really thin pancakes? OMG, I love those!
We all know the American pancakes, and maybe you’ve even tried the Dutch ones. But having crepes (or “craypes”, as Ricky Bobby calls them) in your repertoire means you can up your game. You have breakfast, lunch (or dinner), and now also dessert completely covered. This is a simple recipe for tasty crepes or “really thin pancakes”.
Tools
If you have been to the more high-end restaurants, vacation resorts or street vendors, you sometimes see special crepe equipment. You see wide pan with low rims, and sometimes wooden sticks to spread the mixture super thin. Honestly, you don’t need that. All you need is a ladle and a good, pretty large non-stick pan. A high-rim version works just fine, but if you prefer easy access to the pan – hence the low rim – this pan is a true treat for a neat price. By the way: the pans I use are All-Clad’s HA1 series PFOA-free frying pans.
Versatile
For crepes, the key is texture. They’re not heavily flavored themselves, with maybe a bit of vanilla for the sweet version. They should be thin and light, slightly crispy, and filled. You’ll probably know them filled with Nutella or berries and cream, or with cheese, mushroom and spinach. But there are countless other ingredients you can try to make it an excellent showstopper at breakfast, lunch or dinner. And either folded or rolled up, they’re easy to take with you on a trip – just mind the fillings and any refrigeration you may need. You can make the batter ahead of time: place it, well-covered, in the fridge a day or two (not more), or place the baked crepes in the fridge. Just pull them out when you need them. You can eat them cold or quickly heat them. Don’t over-bake or dry them out!
How to make them
This is not the hardest recipe in the world, but there are a few things you need to keep in mind to get good crepes. Firstly, you need a very slack or wet batter. There is a lot of liquid that goes in here, and that’s for a reason. A wet dough ensures it spreads well in the pan, and it spreads thin. The more you make them, the more you will get a sense of the amount of liquid, and whether you need more.
Secondly, you need to work quick. Because they are so thin, they bake in a matter of seconds. Keep you eye on the pan: the moment the edges brown, you’re ready to flip it.
The recipe calls for a mix of water and milk, and that’s deliberate. All milk would be too heavy, and all water would lack the rich flavor.
Lastly, you add the batter in the corner of the pan, and not the center. The corner will make it a lot easier to quickly spread the batter over the pan – and better.
There you have it: with this fairly simple recipe you’ll be able to create an impressive stack of thin and tasty crepes, guaranteed to wow your family, friends and guests.