Crêpes – what can be more of a french classic, and so very versatile too as they can served sweet or savoury? These are authentic sweet french crêpes as one finds all over France, very thin and slightly crispy. Fill them with jam, nutella, sugar, cinnamon, fruit, or a combination of the above. one of my favourites is nutella, banana and crème chantilly. Yum! I am getting hungry even thinking about it. The savoury version traditionally uses buckwheat flour and is often called a galette. That will be another post.
Note: If you are using whole milk, then use the water and milk combination. If you are using low fat milk, you can use all milk if you wish.
Ingredients:
- 125 ml / 1/2 cup cold milk
- 125 ml / 1/2 cup water, preferably cold
- 2 eggs
- 100 g / (3/4 cup +1 T) flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it, whisk together
In another bowl combine the milk, water and melted butter
Gradually add small quantities of the milk, water and butter mixture, still whisking (don’t worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk)
Whisk until the batter is smooth, about the consistency of thin cream
Blender method: Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl (or blender jug). Blend with an immersion blender until everything is combined, scrapping down the sides of the bowl a few times. If there are lumps, continue blending until the lumps are gone
Cover the mixing bowl with a plastic wrap, place the bowl in the refrigerator and chill the batter for at least 1 hour before using to allow flour particles to expand in the liquid to yield a tender and light crepe. The batter can be made the day before and kept chilled until ready to use.
Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium high heat – I use a 20cm /8″ crêpe pan
Sprinkle droplets of water onto the pan and if the water sizzles immediately, it means the pan is hot enough for use
Brush a thin layer of melted butter onto the pan
Pour or scoop the batter onto the pan, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crêpe
Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly
Cook for about 30 seconds until the edges begin to brown, then loosen the crêpe with a spatula and turn to the other side to cook for another 30 seconds
Transfer the cooked crêpe onto a plate and repeat until all the batter is used up
Enjoy!
Tips:
After cooking the first crêpe, determine if ¼-cup of batter is too much or too little and adjust the batter amount for the subsequent crêpes.
The crêpe batter consistency should be that of a light cream, just thick enough to coat a spoon. If you find the batter too thick or heavy you may whisk in water, tablespoon by tablespoon. You only want enough to coat the bottom of the pan, without any extra pooled in the middle. Pour the batter into the pan, lifting the pan up to tilt it, allowing the batter to swirl all the way over the bottom of the pan in a very thin layer. If you have poured in too much, pour out the excess.
If the crêpe is burning or setting too fast for your comfort, lower the heat slightly or place the frying pan on a wet tea towel for 5 to 10 seconds to cool down the frying pan slightly.
This was born out of some left over smoked salmon and a desire to eat it with something other than a bagel, (not available in the Dordogne), a slice of bread, (so many great choices here in the Dordogne), pasta, (too many carbs after Christmas and New Year), salad, (too healthy), so I decided to try something a little different and it turned out really tasty. With the addition of the beaten egg whites, the pancakes are very light and fluffy. I served it with some créme fraîche, lemon slices and freshly ground black pepper and a glass of champagne for dinner yesterday. A perfect light meal after our 6 course New Year’s Eve dinner at the local Journiac town-hall. That was quite a feast. We had mushroom soup, a slice of foie gras, scallops on a bed of pureed leeks, venison steak with potato gratin and veggies, salad with a brillat savarin cheese with truffle and nougat glacé. All washed down with limitless wine and champagne. The evening started at 8pm and the first guest left around 02am!
Serves 6