As a child I relished the Swedish pancakes that Esther, who worked briefly for my mother, made every Sunday. She rolled them, dusted them with confectioners` sugar and served them with maple syrup. They were lighter than other pancakes, with less spongey-thickness to absorb the syrup, and I liked them much more.
I was very disappointed when Esther left because no one seemed to know her secret for such delicious, light pancakes. Not until my family moved to Europe did I realize the close similarity between her Swedish pancakes and French crepes (pronounced kreps).
Crepes are amazingly versatile. They are terrific for breakfast, perfect for brunch or lunch, great as a first course for dinner, fabulous for dessert. They may be made well in advance and frozen, available for turning a variety of leftovers into a special dish.
Equipment
There are special rolled-steel crepe pans, but unless the pans are used frequently the crepes tend to stick. Good, heavy, nonstick pans work just as well. Thin pans will work, too, but they tend to get too hot and are difficult to work with.
I do not subscribe to the crepemaking gadgets popular a few years ago. I let students practice with regular pans and an automatic crepemaking pan to see which they prefer. Only one student in more than 12 years has preferred the ”automatic” pan.
Besides the pan, the only other equipment needed is a container for the batter, a metal measuring cup to scoop out the batter 1/4- or 1/3-cup measure will do), a knife and two other bowls, one for the excess batter, one for scraps.
Helpful techniques
Turning out fine crepes involves technique:
1. Crepe batter is better if it is allowed to rest for at least 1 hour to thicken a bit. The starch molecules take in some of the liquid and expand, making for a tender, light crepe.
2. After making and resting the batter, stir it but do not beat. Beating would ”exercise” the glutten in the flour, resulting in a tougher crepe. The batter should be the consistency of light cream.
3. If the first crepe is too thick (it should be about 1/16 inch thick), thin the batter by adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
4. There is no need to grease the pan while making crepes, except initially. After that, the melted butter in the batter will keep it from sticking to the pan.
All-purpose crepe batter
Crepe batters sometimes are made with all milk or all cream. The crepes will be lighter if they are made with 1/2 water and 1/2 milk. There is no salt or sugar in this batter; so it can be used for savory or dessert crepes. A tablespoon of sugar may be added for dessert crepes to give a slight sweetness and make them brown a little quicker.
ALL-PURPOSE CREPE BATTER
Four to six servings
(Twelve 6- or 7-inch crepes
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 2 minutes
Standing time: 1 to 24 hours
2 cups milk, or 1 cup milk and 1 cup water
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour, leveled
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter or safflower oil
1. Place the milk or milk/water and the eggs into a blender or food processor. Add the flour and the butter or oil. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the container with a rubber spatula. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours.
By hand:
1. Sift the flour into a bowl or put it through a strainer. Make a hole in the center of the flour and add 1/2 the milk/water: Bit by bit whisk the flour into the liquid to make a smooth batter. Whisk in the eggs, then the melted butter and remaining liquid. Cover; let batter stand for 1 to 24 hours. How to make crepes
My students usually are concerned at first about making crepes, then delighted to find that after cooking 2 or 3 it really is easy.
1. Near the stove have a bowl containing the batter; a ladle or measuring cup, preferably one that holds just enough batter to cover the pan; a knife with a rounded tip (a plain table knife), and two empty bowls, for excess batter and scraps. Have a piece of aluminum foil on hand to put the crepes on after they are cooked.
2. Place the crepe pan on the stove over moderately high heat, rubbing the pan with enough oil to lubricate it. Wait until the pan is very hot: A drop of batter should sizzle immediately, or the oil in the pan should start to smoke.
3. Holding the pan off the heat, put in just enough batter to coat the pan. Rotate the pan to distribute the batter over the bottom; immediately pour any excess into the excess batter bowl. The objective is to make the film of batter as thin as possible. Return pan to heat.
4. With a kitchen knife gently trim off any excess batter that sticks to the side of the pan and dump into the bowl for scraps. The crepe should be fairly round. After about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, the underside of the crepe should be a light tan. Give the pan a good jerk and shake it back and forth to loosen the crepe. Then turn the crepe over, using the knife and a spatula, or the fingers. If a crepe pan is being used, turn the crepe by flipping the pan. The flip is definitely easier; just assume that 1 or 2 crepes may be lost in the process!
5. Cook the second side of the crepe 15 to 25 seconds, depending on the heat in the pan. Turn out onto aluminum foil.
Observations
— The first crepe is for testing: It will absorb most of the oil and usually should be discarded.
— The second side of a crepe never colors as nicely as the first. It tends to have brown spots, which reminds me of a giraffe`s skin. In presentation, this side is turned down or inside.
— Crepes can be piled up–they keep warm that way. They can be kept in a refrigerator for several days or in a freezer for several months. Before freezing, place a piece of wax paper between every 4 or more, the least number that will be used. Once the crepes are warmed, they are easy to separate.
Crepes as pancakes
For breakfast make large crepes in a 9-inch pan. Make them ahead if possible and store them in foil. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Then roll them, dust with confectioners` sugar and serve with unsalted butter and real maple syrup.
If made ahead, these dessert crepes are simple, yet festive. Ordinary grape jelly is used in a crepe at Galatoire`s, in New Orleans. It is one of the restaurant`s best desserts.
DESSERT CREPES
Two servings
(Four 6-inch crepes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
4 all-purpose crepes; recipe above
1 tablespoon liqueur
1/2 cup fruit preserves or jelly
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup liqueur for flaming
1. Prepare the crepes.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1 tablespoon liqueur with the preserves or jelly; spread the filling on the crepes, roll them and place in a flameproof baking dish.
3. Smear the crepes with the butter, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake until thoroughly heated, about 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Just before serving, pour the liqueur for flaming into a small saucepan and barely warm it. Carefully pour it over the crepes without stirring, and light a match. Carefully bring to the table in flames and serve immediately. Or add the liqueur and simmer 2 or 3 minutes to form a light syrup with the butter and sugar.
Note: Suggested preserves and liqueur combinations: red currant jelly or cherry preserves and Kirsch; raspberry or strawberry preserves and Kirsch or Cognac; apricot or peach preserves and dark rum or Grand Marnier; grape jelly and Cognac.
MARDI GRAS CREPES
Four to six servings
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Sixteen 6- or 7-inch all-purpose crepes; recipe above
4 cups of diced leftovers, such as ham, roast pork, beef, poultry; if vegetables are used, see note below
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to season
Pinch of nutmeg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup grated gruyere-style cheese
1. Prepare the crepes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dice the leftover meat. Stir the cream and mustard in a saucepan large enough to hold the meat; bring mixture to a boil and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Add meat; cook until warm.
3. Place about 1/4 cup of meat with sauce in each crepe and roll it. Place filled crepes in a buttered baking dish just large enough to hold them all. Smear each crepe with a little butter; pour over any remaining sauce;
sprinkle with cheese. The dish may be prepared ahead to this point.
4. Place in oven until heated, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately.
Note: Leftover vegetables work just as well, but omit the mustard.
