CRÊPES

A crêpe (or crepe) is a very thin sweet or savoury pancake, served with toppings or fillings including cheese, fruit, vegetables, meats and other spreads. They cook quickly and don’t take up much space in the refrigerator or freezer for bulk baking. Our family enjoys sweet crepes topped with a sprinkle of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice, or butter and maple syrup. Garlic mushrooms or ricotta/spinach filling make delicious savoury fillings too. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients for  CREPES
	Yield: 8	Yield: 16
Eggs, Large	3	6
Milk	1 1/4 cups	2 1/2 cups
Vanilla Extract (Optional)	1 teaspoon	2 teaspoons
Butter, Melted	2 tablespoons	1/4 cup
Plain (All Purpose) Flour	1 1/2 cups	3 cups
Salt, Finely Ground	1/4 teaspoon	1/2 teaspoon

  

METHOD:

1.  Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl. Whisk well.

2.  Add milk, vanilla and melted butter to the egg bowl. Whisk well.

3.  Sift flour and salt into mixing bowl. Whisk well.

4.  Cover and set aside for 30 minutes (or refrigerate overnight).

5.  Pre-heat crepe pan. Lightly oil pan if required.

6.  Once pan is hot, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter (depending on pan diameter), spreading the batter as thinly as possible.

7.  Cook until golden then flip carefully and cook the other side for 30 seconds.

8.  Once cooked, place crepes onto a plate and keep warm (i.e. wrap with foil).

9.  Repeat above steps to cook the remaining crepes.

10.  Refrigerate cooked crepes in airtight containers and consume within 2-3 days, or freeze (with baking paper between layers) for up to 3 months.

 

FLAVOUR IDEAS:

Add a little of one (or more) of these ingredients to add flavour to your crepes!

o  Cocoa powder for chocolate crepes;

o  Poppy seeds;

o  Powdered herbs/vegetables i.e. beetroot powder, blue spirulina powder, carrot powder, greens powder, pumpkin powder, spinach powder, spirulina powder, tomato powder or ground turmeric to make various coloured crepes!

 

SERVING IDEAS:

Serve crepes hot or cold, with one or more of the following:

SWEET

o  Banana and chocolate hazelnut spread;

o  Banana, strawberries and chocolate hazelnut spread;

o  Banana, walnuts and chocolate hazelnut spread;

o  Butter, sugar and cinnamon;

o  Caramelised apples, butter and cinnamon;

o  Crêpe Suzette - sauce made from caramelised butter, sugar, orange juice and Grand Marnier;

o  Golden syrup and butter;

o  Lemon and sugar;

o  Maple syrup and butter;

o  Peanut butter, banana and chocolate hazelnut spread;

o  Roasted almonds and chocolate hazelnut spread;

o  Roasted almonds and caramel;

o  Strawberries and chocolate hazelnut spread;

o  Strawberries and cream;

o  Whipped cream, fruit i.e. banana, berries and icing sugar;

o  Apples and cinnamon;

o  Bananas;

o  Berries;

o  Caramel sauce;

o  Choc cherry sauce;

o  Chocolate hazelnut spread;

o  Cinnamon and sugar;

o  Jam, like fig jam;

o  Lemon;

o  Stewed fruit, like bottled plums or bottled cherries;

o  Strawberries;

o  Strawberry syrup;

o  Sugar;

o  Whipped cream;

SAVOURY

o  Bacon and egg;

o  Chicken, avocado and egg;

o  Chicken, mushrooms and avocado;

o  Roast chicken and mushrooms;

o  Smoked salmon and cream cheese;

o  Smoked salmon and spinach;

o  Spicy chicken and cheese;

o  Vegetarian – capsicum, mushrooms, spinach and cheese;

o  Artichoke;

o  Avocado;

o  Bacon;

o  Capsicum;

o  Chicken;

o  Cheese;

o  Eggs;

o  Mushrooms;

o  Roasted strawberries;

o  Spinach;

o  Spinach and cheese i.e. ricotta;

o  Steak.

 

NOTES:

o  Use a blender (or pour batter through a sieve) to make a smooth, lump-free batter – but rest the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (can be premixed the night prior) to allow the gluten to relax;

o  Add a teaspoon or two of castor sugar for a sweet batter;

o  Milk can be dairy-based or plant-based;

o  Flour can be white wheat flour, wholemeal flour or buckwheat flour (wholemeal/buckwheat may need extra milk added to thin the batter);

o  Savoury crepes made with buckwheat flour are commonly called galettes;

o  Crepes vs pancakes: pancake batter uses a raising agent (i.e. self-raising flour or baking powder), crepes do not use a raising agent. This is why crepes are flat and thin, and pancakes are fluffy!

o  Sweet crepes are usually smaller than savoury crepes.

     

Author: Megan Radaich        

Image Credit: Megan Radaich        

Publication: www.foodpreserving.org