Ooh la la! Crepes are delicious, and they’re French (unless, of course, you want to call them blintzes or, horrors, pancakes!). But French is more romantic (providing we ignore the current riots on the Champs Elysees), and it also gives you permission to speak your high school foreign language in a horrible (or not so horrible, as the case may be) accent.
As the temperature gets colder, I find I like to eat filled crepes. There’s something about the brisk nights that makes the evenings very cozy – especially when I’m wrapped in my imaginary L.L. Bean blanket in front of my imaginary fireplace with my imaginary fire roaring. Crepes are super easy to make, relatively healthy, and can be made gluten free. Crepes can be savory or sweet and can house just about any filling you would be willing to eat. They can be used as an appetizer, main dish, or dessert. They can be gussied up “Fancy Nancy” style, or they can be more “Plain Jane” and eaten as street food.
I find I cannot make these crepes fast enough. My kids eat them plain, as soon as they come off the stove. There’s not much to each individual crepe, so it’s easy to eat a lot. If I do have a few left (or was able to hide some), I fill them.
What’s the secret to this wonder dish? you ask. Well, if you take out your immersion blender (or whisk), flour, water, and eggs, and follow this recipe, you’ll soon have your crepes and eat them, too.
Basic Crepe Recipe
3 large eggs
1 c. water (or substitute coconut milk or fruit juice)
1 c. flour (or substitute cornstarch or a GF flour)
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1 tsp. to 1 T. sugar (optional)
1 tsp. dried herbs or 1 T. fresh (optional)
1 T. thawed frozen spinach (optional)
Using an immersion blender or whisk (even a fork), blend eggs, water, and flour together. Add salt and sugar, if using, and blend. (The salt and sugar enhance the flavor of the crepe, so I typically add them. For savory crepes, use 1 teaspoon of sugar, for sweet crepes use a tablespoon.)
If you are using the herbs or spinach, add them before blending. The spinach will turn your crepe greenish. I’ve added beet juice to crepes, but it made the crepe an unappetizing bologna color. Colored fruit juice will make the crepes turn color as well, which might make for an exciting presentation.
If you have an extra hour, “rest” the batter to prevent bubbles. If not, go ahead and make the crepes right away.
Spray a sauté pan with cooking spray and heat. If it’s a nonstick pan, you do not need to spray, but I would – to hedge your bets. The size of the sauté pan will determine the size of your crepes; the smaller the pan, the smaller the crepes.
Pour approximately 1/4 cup of the batter, or as much or as little as you need to cover the bottom of the pan in a thin coat. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until the edges of the crepe pull away from the sides. The crepe should look dry.
Briefly flip the crepe so that the other side touches the heat, but it should not brown.
Remove the crepe out of the sauté pan. Use your fingers (if you dare) or a spatula or a quick flick of the wrist. Start your stack! Make as many crepes as you have batter. Store them, covered, in a 200° degree oven until ready to eat – unless everyone has been eating them, in which case you might not have any to put in the oven.
Add the desired filling and roll the crepe like a burrito, or fold in half and half again, so it looks like an open fan. Once you add your fillings, you can put the crepe back in the pan on medium heat to warm or melt the filling.
Place the crepes(s) on the plate and drizzle with the appropriate sauce: steak or BBQ sauce for savory, and chocolate/caramel sauce for sweet. Say “voila!” and eat!
This recipe makes 6 to 8 crepes. It doubles and triples nicely.
Chicken with Wine Sauce and Mushrooms Filling
Crepes are a great way to use leftovers. Here’s one recipe.
4 c. leftover chicken, diced
2 T. oil
Bottle of wine
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
2 c. onions, diced
1 red pepper, de-seeded and diced
1 tsp. salt (to taste)
1/4 tsp. pepper (to taste)
Use a wine you would drink. If you pick a cheap wine you do not like, you are not going to like this wine sauce either.
In a sauce pan over high heat, add oil until hot. Lower heat to medium and add onions. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add red peppers for 2 minutes and then the mushrooms. Add the bottle of wine and salt and pepper. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to 25 percent. Add cooked chicken to heat. Then fill your crepe!
More Crepe Fillings
- Chocolate-Hazelnut (Yum! Use about a tablespoon per crepe)
- Your favorite jam (1 tablespoon per crepe)
- Bananas and chocolate chips (half a sliced banana per crepe with 10 chocolate chips)
- Ice cream
- Diced potatoes with caramelized onions or mashed potatoes
- Pepper steak with sautéed peppers
Garnishes
- Green onions, chives, or strips of orange peel (blanched) to tie the crepe if you would like to make a crepe “purse.”
- Sprinkle powdered sugar on top.
- Drizzled chocolate or caramel sauce or any sauce on top
- Sprigs of mint or parsley
Bracha Shor is owner and chef of Sweet and Good Catering. To join the email list, email Bshor@sweetandgoodcatering.com with the word JOIN in the subject. You’ll never miss an article or a new recipe and always be in the know about our events.
Ooh La La – Crepes
by Bracha Shor
Ooh la la! Crepes are delicious, and they’re French (unless, of course, you want to call them blintzes or, horrors, pancakes!). But French is more romantic (providing we ignore the current riots on the Champs Elysees), and it also gives you permission to speak your high school foreign language in a horrible (or not so horrible, as the case may be) accent.
As the temperature gets colder, I find I like to eat filled crepes. There’s something about the brisk nights that makes the evenings very cozy – especially when I’m wrapped in my imaginary L.L. Bean blanket in front of my imaginary fireplace with my imaginary fire roaring. Crepes are super easy to make, relatively healthy, and can be made gluten free. Crepes can be savory or sweet and can house just about any filling you would be willing to eat. They can be used as an appetizer, main dish, or dessert. They can be gussied up “Fancy Nancy” style, or they can be more “Plain Jane” and eaten as street food.
I find I cannot make these crepes fast enough. My kids eat them plain, as soon as they come off the stove. There’s not much to each individual crepe, so it’s easy to eat a lot. If I do have a few left (or was able to hide some), I fill them.
What’s the secret to this wonder dish? you ask. Well, if you take out your immersion blender (or whisk), flour, water, and eggs, and follow this recipe, you’ll soon have your crepes and eat them, too.
Basic Crepe Recipe
3 large eggs
1 c. water (or substitute coconut milk or fruit juice)
1 c. flour (or substitute cornstarch or a GF flour)
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1 tsp. to 1 T. sugar (optional)
1 tsp. dried herbs or 1 T. fresh (optional)
1 T. thawed frozen spinach (optional)
Using an immersion blender or whisk (even a fork), blend eggs, water, and flour together. Add salt and sugar, if using, and blend. (The salt and sugar enhance the flavor of the crepe, so I typically add them. For savory crepes, use 1 teaspoon of sugar, for sweet crepes use a tablespoon.)
If you are using the herbs or spinach, add them before blending. The spinach will turn your crepe greenish. I’ve added beet juice to crepes, but it made the crepe an unappetizing bologna color. Colored fruit juice will make the crepes turn color as well, which might make for an exciting presentation.
If you have an extra hour, “rest” the batter to prevent bubbles. If not, go ahead and make the crepes right away.
Spray a sauté pan with cooking spray and heat. If it’s a nonstick pan, you do not need to spray, but I would – to hedge your bets. The size of the sauté pan will determine the size of your crepes; the smaller the pan, the smaller the crepes.
Pour approximately 1/4 cup of the batter, or as much or as little as you need to cover the bottom of the pan in a thin coat. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until the edges of the crepe pull away from the sides. The crepe should look dry.
Briefly flip the crepe so that the other side touches the heat, but it should not brown.
Remove the crepe out of the sauté pan. Use your fingers (if you dare) or a spatula or a quick flick of the wrist. Start your stack! Make as many crepes as you have batter. Store them, covered, in a 200° degree oven until ready to eat – unless everyone has been eating them, in which case you might not have any to put in the oven.
Add the desired filling and roll the crepe like a burrito, or fold in half and half again, so it looks like an open fan. Once you add your fillings, you can put the crepe back in the pan on medium heat to warm or melt the filling.
Place the crepes(s) on the plate and drizzle with the appropriate sauce: steak or BBQ sauce for savory, and chocolate/caramel sauce for sweet. Say “voila!” and eat!
This recipe makes 6 to 8 crepes. It doubles and triples nicely.
Chicken with Wine Sauce and Mushrooms Filling
Crepes are a great way to use leftovers. Here’s one recipe.
4 c. leftover chicken, diced
2 T. oil
Bottle of wine
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
2 c. onions, diced
1 red pepper, de-seeded and diced
1 tsp. salt (to taste)
1/4 tsp. pepper (to taste)
Use a wine you would drink. If you pick a cheap wine you do not like, you are not going to like this wine sauce either.
In a sauce pan over high heat, add oil until hot. Lower heat to medium and add onions. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add red peppers for 2 minutes and then the mushrooms. Add the bottle of wine and salt and pepper. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to 25 percent. Add cooked chicken to heat. Then fill your crepe!
More Crepe Fillings
- Chocolate-Hazelnut (Yum! Use about a tablespoon per crepe)
- Your favorite jam (1 tablespoon per crepe)
- Bananas and chocolate chips (half a sliced banana per crepe with 10 chocolate chips)
- Ice cream
- Diced potatoes with caramelized onions or mashed potatoes
- Pepper steak with sautéed peppers
Garnishes
- Green onions, chives, or strips of orange peel (blanched) to tie the crepe if you would like to make a crepe “purse.”
- Sprinkle powdered sugar on top.
- Drizzled chocolate or caramel sauce or any sauce on top
- Sprigs of mint or parsley
Bracha Shor is owner and chef of Sweet and Good Catering. To join the email list, email Bshor@sweetandgoodcatering.com with the word JOIN in the subject. You’ll never miss an article or a new recipe and always be in the know about our events.
