Ooh, la la! Pancakes are very delicious, aren’t they? Crepes are essentially French pancakes, and their defining characteristic is that they tend to be very thin. Recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating says that crepes “require super simple ingredients and are fun to make.” She also describes them as “incredibly versatile,” due to the fact that they can be used with either savory or sweet fillings.
This particular crepe recipe is fairly universal and therefore does not include any kind of sweetener, so it can be used in either sweet or savory applications. They’re the perfect blank canvas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert. If you happen to have an insatiable sweet tooth, Brookes says “you could add a tablespoon or so [of sugar]” to the batter. That said, even unsweetened crepes make an excellent vehicle for fresh berries, chocolate, and more.
Collect the crepe ingredients
Brookes wasn’t kidding about the simplicity of the ingredients needed to make crepes. Check your pantry — surely you’ve got flour. Now open the fridge and look to see if you have eggs, milk, and maybe some butter to grease the pan. No butter? No problem; just grab some neutral-flavored oil. The only other ingredient you’ll need for the crepes is water.
Make the crepe batter
Measure the flour, then sift it into a bowl. Make a well in the flour, then crack the eggs into this well. Add a little of the milk and water, whisk, then add a bit more of both liquids. Keep adding milk and water, whisking all the while, until you have a nice, smooth batter.
Chill the crepe batter
Before you can cook the crepes, you will need to cover the bowl and chill it for anywhere from 1 to 24 hours. As Brookes explains, “Refrigerating the batter for at least 1 hour before frying the crepes allows the liquid and flour to fully combine.” This, she goes on to say, will “result … in a more tender crepe.”
Cook the pancakes
Heat a little bit of oil or butter in an 11- or 12-inch skillet with the burner set to medium. Once the pan is hot, stir the batter and pour about ⅙ of it (roughly ¼ cup, but you can eyeball it) into the pan. As soon as it hits the pan, swirl the crepe batter around until it covers the entire bottom of the pan. As the crepe cooks, run a spatula around the rim to keep it from sticking. Cook the crepe for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip it and cook it for another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove your crepe from the skillet, then repeat the process until you’ve used up all of the batter.
Once the crepes are done, you can top them or fill them any way you like. Brookes has a number of suggestions, including yogurt, honey, fresh fruit, Nutella, peanut butter, or a classic combo of sugar and lemon juice. “You can even go savory with cheese and ham,” she says. However you eat them, bon appetit!
