A Recipe and Tutorial: How to Make Basic Crepes

from the archives…

Top Five Reasons for Serving Crepes Anytime, Anywhere

1. Crepes Allow You to Multi-Task: Crepe batter is best when prepared at least 30 minutes to 1 hour in advance (and up to 2 days in advance when covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator), leaving you valuable time to accomplish other things. (Tip: always cover crepe batter airtight and store in the refrigerator while resting.)
2. Menu Planning—Cooked Crepes Can Be Frozen in Advance & Thawed When You’re in a Hurry: Cooked crepes, layered between parchment paper, wrapped airtight and placed in freezer bag (or freezer-safe container), can be frozen for up to 1 month, leaving you even more time to focus your attention elsewhere. When needed, take crepes out to thaw and warm slightly before filling or serving.
3. Adaptability: Crepes are highly adaptable and lend themselves nicely to an assortment of sweet and savory fillings that can keep your breakfasts, brunches, dinners and hors d’oeuvres fresh and exciting for years to come.
4. Easy-to-Make: While seemingly fussy to prepare, making crepes is as easy as, if not easier than, making pancakes.
5. Flavor and Impression Factor: Crepes taste great and are a welcome sight at any table no matter how (plain, fruit, cream, cheese or veggie-filled) or when (morning, noon or night) they are served. When wanting to impress your family, friends or guests and provide a meal they’ll never forget, choose crepes and your possibilites are endless!

Now that we’ve covered the reasons why you should serve crepes, it’s time to cover how.

Below you will find a basic, no-fail crepe recipe which can be prepared as-is or with a touch of sugar added to create basic sweet crepes. Also included is a step-by-step tutorial on crepe making which will have you turning out compliment-garnering crepes in a flash.

Ready to begin?

Recipe: Basic Crepes

(courtesy InnCuisine.com)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 4 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons melted, unsalted butter
• to turn these into Basic Sweet Crepes, add 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar to the flour & salt mixture when preparing (instructions below)

Yield: Approximately 2 dozen crepes when using a 7 & 1/2 inch crepe pan or skillet.

Assembly

Combine flour and salt in a food processor and briefly process (if you’re making Basic Sweet Crepes, add the sugar at this time as well).

In a medium-sized bowl or large container with spout (makes for mess-free pouring), stir together milk, water and melted butter; add eggs and mix with a fork or whisk until well blended. With the food processor running, carefully add this mixture to the dry ingredients by pouring down the feed tube and processing until the batter becomes smooth.

Let the batter rest (covered and in the refrigerator) for at least 30 minutes, or pour into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

When you are ready to cook, heat a 7 to 8 inch crepe pan or non-stick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. While some cooks prefer to grease their crepe pan or skillet with melted butter or non-stick cooking spray, I suggest skipping the extra butter by using a pan or skillet that’s already well-seasoned and/or made of high quality, non-stick material.

When your pan/skillet reaches optimum temperature (use approximately the same heat you would to make pancakes), lift the pan from the heat and pour in just enough (pre-stirred) batter (2-3 tablespoons) to cover the bottom of the pan in a thin, even layer when you rotate it in small, controlled circles. Experiment with this movement. While it may seem odd at first, you will quickly learn to spread the batter evenly and perfect this process. When the bottom of the pan is covered, stop circling and return the pan to heat.

As the batter begins to set, i.e. the underside cooks to a pale, golden brown and the topside begins to bubble and sweat (see the above photo for bubbling, about 30-45 seconds,) gently turn the crepe over using a spatula, the edge of a spatula and your fingers (taking care not to burn yourself), or gently flip the crepe using the pan handle and some fancy wrist action (although I don’t suggest this method unless you are an experienced flipper).

After turning the crepe, cook briefly on the opposite side, approximately 15 seconds or until just speckled with a pale, gold pattern. Finished crepes (the second side will always be lighter than the first) should exhibit a lightly colored, gold, lacy pattern.

Continue with this process, stirring the batter before pouring each crepe, until you have used all the batter.

As you finish cooking each crepe, stack them on a plate between sheets of parchment paper to prevent sticking. If necessary (and only if using an oven-safe plate), you can place the finished crepes in a low-temperature warming drawer for a short period of time. Finished crepes may be served immediately or allowed to cool, wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 1 month.

Interested in filling these crepes? Explore the Sweet & the Savory.

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