Classic Crepes Recipes

CLASSIC CREPES

Steps:

• Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together milk and eggs in a medium bowl. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture, whisking to combine. Whisk in butter. Strain mixture into a medium bowl, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 1 day). Batter should be the consistency of heavy cream; add more milk if needed.
• Heat an 8- or 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, and brush with butter. Ladle or pour 3 tablespoons batter (for small crepes) or 1/3 cup batter (for large crepes) into pan, turning and tilting skillet to coat bottom evenly with batter. Cook until top of crepe appears set, bottom is firm and golden brown in spots, and center is lifted by pockets of air, about 1 minute.
• Run a spatula around edge of crepe to loosen. Slip spatula under crepe, and gently flip in one swift gesture. (If it doesn't land quite right, that's okay; use the spatula to unfold or rearrange it.) Cook until bottom is firm and golden brown in spots, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a plate, and cover. (The first one will not be your finest.) Repeat with remaining batter, brushing pan lightly with butter as needed (every 2 or 3 crepes). Serve immediately.

CLASSIC FRENCH CREPES (BASIC CREPES)

Steps:

• Place the milk and eggs in a jug/bowl. Whisk to combine (you should have about 2 cups of liquid).
• Add the oil or butter and whisk it in.
• Place the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
• Add about ¾ - 1 cup of the liquid and mix gently to form a smooth paste. This should not take more than a few seconds. Take care not to over-mix.
• Add the rest of the liquid and mix to form a smooth, watery batter.
• Cover the batter and let it rest for at least 20 - 30 minutes. The batter can be kept in the fridge overnight as well (or upto 2 days)
• Add the ingredients into the blender. Add the flour last. Blend for a few seconds until you have a smooth batter. You can use a stick blender as well for this purpose.
• Cover the batter and let it rest for at least 20 - 30 minutes. The batter can be kept in the fridge overnight as well (or upto 2 days)
• Preheat a 10 inch non-stick pan over medium heat.
• Brush a layer of butter on the heated pan. I used a silicone brush, but you can use a butter soaked paper towel or cloth as well.
• Always mix the batter first, before you make each crepe. This is to make sure the batter is uniformly mixed.
• Pour ¼ cup of the batter into the hot pan, and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Swirl and spread the batter along the edge of the pan first and then fill the middle with the remaining crepe batter. Make sure the batter is as evenly spread as possible.
• Place the pan back on the heat to let the crepe cook.
• For extra soft crepes - cook the crepes only until they are just set at the surface (about 30 seconds) and there's no browning on the edges. You can flip over the crepe gently, and cook for a few seconds on the other side (optional), or remove the crepe from pan and place it on a plate.
• For classic crepes - cook the crepes until the edges are starting to brown become a little crisp (about 40 seconds). Flip the crepes over and cook for a further 10 - 15 seconds on the other side until the crepes have caramelized spots.
• Repeat until all the batter is used up (remember to mix the batter each time).
• Stack the cooked crepes on a plate or wire rack.
• If the crepes are no longer warm when you're ready to serve them, place another plate over your stack of crepes and microwave for about 30 seconds until the crepes are warm. Then remove the second plate quickly so that the crepes don't become soggy with steam/moisture.
• Serve the crepes with any kind of filling you like. Or you can follow the steps below for lemon and sugar crepes.
• Place a crepe on a plate or flat surface.
• Sprinkle about 1 tsp of sugar over one half of the crepe and fold over in half. Then fold over one more time into quarters. Repeat with all the crepes.
• Serve the French crepes with fresh lemon slices (that can be squeezed over the crepes before eating), and whipped cream.

BASIC CREPES

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
• Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
• Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

THE BEST CREPES

Steps:

• Add the milk, eggs, flour, sugar, vanilla and salt to a blender. Puree on high speed until completely smooth and slightly thickened and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the melted butter and puree until incorporated, 30 seconds more. Let the batter rest in the blender carafe for at least 1 hour at room temperature or refrigerate up to 24 hours. The longer you allow the batter to rest and hydrate, the lighter and softer the texture of the crepes will be; overnight is ideal.
• Before cooking, re-blend the batter at high speed for 30 seconds. This will reincorporate the ingredients, a vital step in getting an even golden color on the crepes. Wipe 1/2 teaspoon of oil on a large crepe pan or a 10-inch nonstick skillet with a paper towel. You don't want to see any drops of oil in the pan, just coat with the thinnest layer. Heat the pan over medium heat until hot.
• Ladle 1/4 cup batter into the pan. Working quickly off the heat, swirl and shake the pan to evenly coat the bottom with the batter. Return to the heat and cook the crepe, reducing the heat if it's browning too quickly, until the edges are light golden, about 2 minutes. Slide a spatula underneath to loosen the crepe and carefully flip it over. Cook on the other side until a few brown spots appear, 15 to 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, wiping pan with oil each time. Stack the crepes on the plate as you go (you should have about 15 total). Let the crepes cool for 10 minutes before serving or filling.
• For fillings, we suggest Nutella and bananas or peanut butter and jelly for sweet crepes. Ham and cheese makes a great filling for savory crepes.

CLASSIC CRêPES

Steps:

• Sift the flour with a pinch of salt into a medium-size bowl and make a well in the middle. Mix the milk and 100ml of water together. Break the eggs into the well and start whisking slowly. Add the milk and water in a steady stream, whisking constantly and gradually incorporating the flour as you do so.
• Whisk until the batter is smooth and all the flour has been incorporated. Set the batter aside to rest for 30 mins, then whisk the melted butter into the batter.
• Heat the pan over a medium heat. Very lightly grease the pan with melted butter. Using a ladle, pour roughly 2 tbsp of batter into the pan and swirl it around so the bottom of the pan is evenly coated. You want to use just enough batter to make a delicate, lacy pancake. Cook the pancake for about 45 secs on one side until golden and then using a palette knife or fish slice, flip the pancake over and cook the other side for about 30 secs until it freckles.
• Slide the pancake out of the pan and either serve immediately or stack on a plate with baking parchment in between. Continue until all the batter is used up.

FRENCH CREPES

Steps:

• Sift together flour, sugar and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk together with an electric mixer. Beat in flour mixture until smooth; stir in melted butter.
• Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 2 tablespoons for each crepe. Tip and rotate pan to spread batter as thinly as possible. Brown on both sides and serve hot.