Crepes: The First Is Never Perfect

This past weekend was Senior Ball. Desiring to squeeze into our dresses, my friends and I wanted a light dinner. After a lot of brainstorming and rejected ideas, I finally won by shouting "SAVORY CREPES!" I had dabbled in crepes two summers ago and had suddenly found myself with a burning desire to go back into the world of crepes once more. 

When I first made crepes, the idea seemed daunting and advanced for such a lowly home cook as myself. To my surprise, crepe making wasn't that hard! I now know that I don't have to count on going to the Mosaic Cafe to get my crepe fix. Just follow this recipe!

Basic Crepe Batter: (adapted from Alton Brown's recipe)

2 large eggs

1/2 c milk

1/2 c cold water

1 c all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tablespoons melted butter, cooled

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. If you don't have a blender - whisk the eggs, milk, and water. Slowly continue whisking and add the rest of the dry ingredients (flour, salt). When smooth, continue whisking in the cooled, melted butter. Continue whisking until the batter is consistent and without lumps. Put in refrigerator whilst preparing the fillings.

Filling Ideas:

Cheese (extra sharp white cheddar), caramelized onions (slice an onion thinly, add 1 tbsp butter, and cook over low heat until brown and sweetened - approximately 30 minutes), asparagus (simply cut, put into a pan with a small amount of olive oil, and steamed for 1.5 minutes after a tbsp of water when pan is very hot), ham

Cooking the Crepes:

Just remember, as my grandmother once told me, the first crepe never come out right. Do not worry, it's only uphill from there. When you are cooking crepes, try and use an nonstick pan. If you do not have one, use a shiny bottomed saute pan. No need to oil/butter the pan! There's butter in the batter. In addition, if you make the crepe thin enough, it will never stick.

So, pour just enough of your crepe batter into your medium/high heated pan (for a 10 inch pan, about a 1/4 of a cup). As soon as it hits the pan, tilt the pan every which way to coat the whole bottom. Work quickly! The batter will start cooking as soon as it touches the hot pan! Wait a little (20 seconds) before checking to see if there are little bubbles aerating to the surface. Shake the pan and hopefully the crepe will move around easily. If not, just give it a lift with a spatula, and flip the crepe. Cook for another 20-30 seconds and then transfer them to another plate to cool. Allow fellow hungry friends to fill and devour their crepe, while you continue cooking because you are now addicted to trying to flip them successfully without a spatula. It's fun! Be fearless and try it!

Bon appétit!