Crêpes are probably one of the easiest yet most impressive things to make. When I told my roommates (and very excited taste-testers) that these treats would be the subject of this week’s article, they went absolutely wild. We ended up making sweet crêpes, but this simple dish can really be used with any sort of flavoring.
To make the crêpes, whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour and two eggs. This will make a very lumpy mixture — combining it well now will help avoid lumps later. Slowly add one-half cup of milk and one-half cup of water to the mixture while stirring it constantly. Try to get both the milk and water to about room temperature before adding; this will help everything combine more easily.
Again, mixing well at this stage will help prevent your batter from being lumpy. A few lumps aren’t anything to worry about, but the smoother the batter is, the better. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add it to the mixture with a sprinkle of salt (if you’re using salted butter, you can skip the additional salt).
Grease a pan using butter or shortening. Turn the heat up to a low medium heat. Use about one-fourth cup of batter for each crêpe. Let the crêpe cook until it starts to brown which should take around two minutes. Then flip the crêpe so that it can cook on the other side. Let the crêpe cool slightly on a plate before filling.
I filled the crêpes with chopped strawberries, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. I also made a simple berry syrup by thawing some frozen berries (they make the best smoothies!) and crushing them in a blender. I put the blended berries in a small pot with sugar and vanilla extract and brought it to a boil for a very short period of time. I stirred while the sugar melted (caramelized). I poured this mixture over the crêpes. This syrup is also very tasty over ice cream or pie.
For a savory crêpe, scramble an egg with a tablespoon of cream cheese and chives for a smooth and delicious filling. Another good idea would be to thinly slice mushrooms and sautée them in a little bit of oil and cream of mushroom soup. Put some cheese in the crepe and then pour some of the mushrooms and sauce over it to melt the cheese. Enjoy!
jaremband@theeagleonline.com
