Crêpes Sucrées (sweet crepes)

The humble crêpe.

Like a pancake.

But better.

I seem to be on a breakfast kick lately. Not that crêpes are strictly a breakfast food. In France, where crêpes are especially popular, they are an ubiquitous food and can serve as main course, snack or as dessert. In fact, the French have a dessert called Mille crêpe which is a cake made of many crêpe layers.

Usually made from common ingredients like flour, eggs, milk, butter, and salt, crêpes can be either sweet (crêpes sucrées) or savoury (crêpes salées).

The crêpes I make are the sweet kind and are very simple and make a wonderful alternative to pancakes.

Crêpes Sucrées
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cups milk
2 Tbs butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until well mixed and slightly frothy.

Add the milk, melted butter, sugar and salt and whisk until smooth.

Using a sifter, slowly add the flour and whisk until smooth.

 

You should have a very thin batter.

Heat a medium-sized skillet or crêpe pan over medium heat. Grease the pan with a small amount of butter or oil. I use a pastry brush to apply the butter, but it can also be applied with a paper towel.

Here comes the tricky part.

Using a serving spoon or small ladle, spoon about 3 tablespoons of the crêpe batter onto the hot pan. While you are adding the batter, you need to tilt the pan, rotating it so that the bottom becomes evenly coated with the batter.

 

Again, this is tricky and if you have never done it before it'll take a bit of practice to get the batter to evenly coat the pan. Also, if the pan is too hot, it will cook the batter too fast and not allow you to get a good coating.

The crêpe should almost immediately begin to bubble as it cooks, giving it very lacy-looking edges.

 

Cook just one to two minutes on a side, or until golden brown.

 

You can serve them with any toppings you wish. They are good with maple syrup, jams and jellies, custard, whipped cream, fresh fruits, etc.

I like serving them with fresh-made whipped cream and fresh fruits dusted with powdered sugar.

This recipe serves 4.