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Chocolate & Zucchini

February 7, 2005

Des Crêpes!

Crêpes

Last Wednesday was La Chandeleur, a holiday that welcomes the first signs of spring. It is traditionally celebrated by making crêpes, with a variety of superstitious little tricks to bring happiness and prosperity upon your household.

One of those tricks involves holding a coin in your left hand while you flip the crêpe pan with your right hand: if all goes smoothly and you haven't dropped the crêpe or the coin or killed anyone, chances are you're lying. But if you're not, that is a very good omen. Another one is to throw the first crêpe of the batch (which is always a dud anyway) on top of a high cupboard, and leave it there for the rest of the year. Well, do you want good luck or no?

If you're experiencing sudden pangs of anguish because you missed La Chandeleur, fret not: tomorrow is Mardi-Gras, and the French like their crêpes so much that they eat them to celebrate Mardi-Gras, too!

The recipe that I use for crêpes was handed down to me by Maxence's mother a few years ago. We had our own little crêpe party with our neighbors on Saturday night (the perfect equidistance from La Chandeleur and Mardi-Gras entirely fortuitous) and enthusiastically tested a variety of toppings -- from nutella to crème de marron to maple syrup to lemon juice -- only to conclude, as we unfailingly do, that beurre-sucre (salted butter and sugar) is really your best bet.

[For savory crêpes made with buckwheat flour, see Galettes de Sarrasin, a recipe I posted precisely one year ago today!]

Crêpes

- 250 g (2 C) flour
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 L (1 C) milk
- 100 g (1/3 C) sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 Tbsp rum (optional)
- 1/4 L (1 C) still mineral water
- butter for cooking, and an assortment of toppings

In a large mixing-bowl, roughly combine the flour and eggs. Whisk in the milk, adding it slowly to avoid lumps. Add in the sugar, vanilla, oil and rum (if using), and whisk to combine thoroughly. Whisk in the water. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours, preferably overnight.

Take the bowl of batter out of the fridge, and give it a whisk to "revive" it. Put a thick-bottomed, low-rimmed frying pan over high heat. Wait until it gets very hot (hot enough to make a drop of water sizzle). Melt a dab of butter in it, and spread the butter evenly in the pan with a wadded paper towel (watch your fingers).

Ladle a little batter in the pan (just enough to cover the pan thinly, we are not making pancakes here), and move the pan around so the batter forms an even disk. Wait until the edges of the crêpe start to pull slightly away from the sides of the pan, peek underneath, and flip the crêpe with a spatula when it is nice and golden. Cook for a few more seconds (the second side cooks much faster) and serve immediately, topped/stuffed/rolled/spread with the sweet condiment of your choice.

(This recipe can be used for savory crêpes also -- just hold the sugar, vanilla and rum.)

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Permalink | Posted by clotilde in Desserts & Sweets - Recipe Inside!

 Comments (27)

Hello Clotilde,

Is the mineral water fizzy/sparkling or still? I've heard of using sparkling water to make pastry light, but have never tried this, and your recipe made me wonder if the same thing would work with crepes? :)

Posted by Stephanie on February 7, 2005 2:18 PM

Stephanie, I heard that fuzzy water or even beer makes the crepes sort of crispier.

Also, a good thing about this pate a crepes is that it had the same amount of ingredients as the Far Breton, which is a sort of flan. All you need to do is to bake it in the oven (175°c) for 45 minutes then let it cool completely. The original Far would also require some dried plums (rolled in flour beforehands, in order not to stick to the bottom of the baking pan) added into the cake.

Posted by Sophie on February 7, 2005 2:53 PM

oh yums... oh i've not tasted crème de marron for years (tasted it the first time while inter-railing across europe -- simply divine)! i wonder if the little French cafe near the Botanical Gardens might have some for sale...

Posted by may on February 7, 2005 3:14 PM

I completely agree, le beurre-sucre is the best way to go....unless you go one step further, and dip "that" into a little puddle of Gran Marnier. Way good!

Posted by Alisa on February 7, 2005 4:20 PM

oh! a new holiday for me to celebrate. of course, the crepe flinging part of the tradition is just as appealing as the crepe eating.

Posted by monkey on February 7, 2005 5:39 PM

I do so envy the Europeans with the various "days" you celebrate. Here in the New World we don't have those traditions.

Posted by Barbara on February 7, 2005 8:12 PM

Clotilde,

Your crepe photo is so artful...it's a thing of beauty in and of itself, and it also makes me hungry...

I wonder if crepes and/or all classifications of pancakes would be a fun theme for IMBB...it hasn't been done, has it?

Posted by Julie on February 7, 2005 8:28 PM

ah, Pancake Tuesday..here in Australia...my husband's filling is that beautiful thick European plum jam ..mine, lemon juice and sugar..

happy mardi gras..be wild today!

Posted by Joan on February 7, 2005 9:23 PM

I have had many people tell me that it is hard to make crepes. They believe that their crepes don't come out thin enough, or whatever. I think it's hogwash, and that crepes are easy to make. Maybe that's just because I grew up watching my mother make crepes all the time.

So I wrote up very detailed directions on how to make crepes. They are probably more detailed than most readers of this blog will require.

http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~roy/Crepes/

Neither my web page design nore my photography are as good as what I see here on C&Z, but hopefully the directions are clear enough.

-alain

Posted by Alain Roy on February 7, 2005 9:56 PM

Thank you very much for this recipe. Always wondered how to make the real French crepes and never found the time to look them up.
You made it really easy for me!
Thanks Clotilde.

Posted by Dreska on February 8, 2005 12:05 AM

Pancake Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday! I am making crepes too!

I love your blog... it is very inspirational for good and healthy eating!

Posted by Saffron on February 8, 2005 12:50 AM

alisa ~ you're talking my language girlfriend! grand marnier and ANYthing works for me. when we made crepes in cooking school we couldn't use utensils so i always burned my fingers until i got the hang of it....10 blistered fingertips later...

Posted by cucina testa rossa on February 8, 2005 1:24 AM

thank you for this recipe...can't wait to try it with fizzy water...we did crepes last year at Chandaleur and didn't kill anyone. no animals were hurt in the process either.

Posted by Cara Black on February 8, 2005 6:32 AM

they're scrumptious Clotilde!..I've made two..as practice goes...we will be 7 at table...should be just lovely..

Posted by Joan on February 8, 2005 7:27 AM

On peut tout essayer pour accompagner les crêpes, rien n'est aussi bon que le Nutella ! n'est-ce pas ?

Posted by fallenangel on February 8, 2005 9:07 AM

This is so funny. I have had a craving the last couple of days for crêpes. I didn't know it was a seasonal craving! I made stacks and stacks of them years ago in the restaurant I worked. I am especially fond of the savory ones, made with whole-wheat flour and beer. We did the nutelle-maroon filling, and served it flambéed (sp?) and with ice-cream.
It is not hard to make them, but it is something you have to get the hang of. Once you have found the right pan and the right temperature stting you are ready to go.

Posted by Pickles on February 8, 2005 3:50 PM

Clotilde ~ such a crepe party we had last night! They were delicious ~ my daughter making a batch, and Claudia (a friend from France) making the other...such fun...assorted toppings including peaches and macadamia nuts cooked in butter and brown sugar...a hit! Would you tell Maxence's mother her recipe will be travelling far and wide in Australia :-)

Posted by Joan on February 8, 2005 9:39 PM

Love the crepes idea, especially the creme de marron variation. I finally searched out some of that tasty chestnut spread (product of France, found at my Italian market in southern California) and appreciate ideas to use it in other dishes. I simply MUST NOT continue to eat it straight, by the spoonful!

Posted by Lyn on February 8, 2005 11:12 PM

Lyn, is the "thou shalt not eat creme de marron straight, by the spoonful" a universal ban, or a Lyn Ban?

Posted by Joan on February 9, 2005 3:48 AM

lovely crepes, and such a sense of humor! I really enjoy your blog.

The crepes on the high cupboard can join the spaghetti noodles on the wall-sort of a food sacrifice art thing...

Posted by Zan on February 10, 2005 9:21 PM

I was charmed by the idea of a mid-winter crepe festival, so we too fired up the skillet. The children's crepes were filled with Nutella, which they had learned to love in Paris last year. My husband and I had a very restrained version with fresh strawberries and (unsweetened) whipped cream. Until the doorbell rang. While I was at the door my husband suddenly yelled for me to come into the kitchen at once. Expecting some sort of culinary or bodily disaster I ran in, only to find him swooning over the combination of crepes and "four fruit" preserves we had brought back from France last year. We've found a new favorite. Thanks for the inspiration ... it was a lovely evening.

Posted by yvette on February 11, 2005 5:09 PM

Beautiful site! Love the fun facts! After hearing it was La Chandeleur last Wednesday, I made baked cheese crepes for a birthday. They were delicious (would love to share the recipe if anyone so desires). Thanks for giving me inspiration!

Posted by emily on February 11, 2005 6:43 PM

i work in a french restaurant making crepes, coffees and paninis. i wondered if you could advise me as to how long i can store crepe mixture for, as they include raw eggs. also, we serve traditional espresso coffees, but i wanted to make some with a bit of variety...do u know of any interestingly different coffee recipes we could serve?

Posted by kim sumerson on March 19, 2005 7:29 PM

Clotilde-

Thank you for your wonderful crepe recipe. Do you happen to know of a good Madeleine cookie? Of all the Madeleine recipe I had tried, none has produced a soft, spongy, buttery and nice golden affect with the little lump. If you know of any good tips, please share! Thanks so much in advance.

Posted by adelina on September 8, 2005 5:41 PM

I made them this morning and they turned out great--not too sweet nor heavy with golden brown edges and lovely texture. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.

Posted by Angela on October 29, 2006 4:46 PM

I was just thinking of making crepes and trying to come up with a creative way to do it. Thank you for an intriguing recipe! Plus, your photo is beautiful.

Posted by Ann on November 21, 2006 12:07 AM

Thanks for posting this recipe. Years ago I had some real French Crepes cooked for me in France and they were delicious!
Love your blog!

tea
xo

Posted by tea on February 1, 2007 11:41 PM
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