Southern California Crepes Recipes

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.

SAUSAGE-FILLED CREPES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine eggs, milk and oil. Add flour and mix well. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour., Heat a lightly greased 8-in. nonstick skillet; pour 3 tablespoons batter into the center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet as needed. When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between., Preheat oven to 375°. For filling, in a large skillet, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add cheeses and marjoram. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. , Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling down the center of each crepe. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. , Cover and bake 40 minutes. Combine sour cream and butter; spoon over crepes. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and sauce is heated through. Sprinkle with parsley.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CREPES

Steps:

• In a bowl stir together the sour cream, the mayonnaise, the lime juice, and the chilies until the mixture is smooth and stir in the chicken, the tomatoes, the scallion, the chopped coriander, and salt and pepper to taste. The filling may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.
• Make 12 crêpes (procedure follows) with the chili corn crêpe batter. Mound about 1/2 cup of the filling on half of each crêpe, fold the crêpe gently over the filling, and transfer them to a buttered baking sheet. Brush the top of each crêpe with the butter and bake the crêpe in a preheated 400°F. oven for 10 minutes, or until they are heated through. With a long spatula transfer the crêpes to serving plates and garnish them with the sour cream, the avocados slices, the coriander sprigs, and the lime slices.
• In a blender or food processor blend the flour, the cornmeal, the salt, the chili powder, the broth, the eggs, and the butter for 5 seconds. Turn off the motor, with a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the container, and blend the batter for 20 seconds more. Transfer the batter to a bowl and let it stand, cover, for 1 hour. The batter may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.
• Heat a crêpe pan or non-stick skillet measuring 6 to 7 inches across the bottom over moderate heat until it is hot. Brush the pan lightly with the butter, heat it until it is hot but not smoking, and remove it from the heat. Stir the batter, half fill a 1/4-cup measure with it, and pour the batter into the pan. Tilt and rotate the pan quickly to cover the bottom with a layer of batter and return any excess batter to bowl. Return the pan to the heat, loosen the edge of the crêpe with a spatula, and cook the crêpe for 1 minute, or until the top appears almost dry. Turn the crêpe, cook the other side lightly, and transfer the crêpe to a plate. Make crêpe with the remaining batter in the same manner, brushing the pan lightly with butter as necessary. The crêpes may be made 3 days in advance, kept stacked, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chilled.

ALICE'S CREPES

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat milk, salt, sugar, and butter until butter has melted. Let cool to room temperature.
• Place flour in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center, and add oil and eggs. Beat until the batter is too stiff to beat and is smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the milk mixture little by little, beating until smooth. Strain the batter through a fine sieve, and then whisk in beer. Chill overnight.
• Heat a crepe pan over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles in the pan. (The first crepe may stick a little if your pan is not heated to the proper temperature.) Rub the pan with a little butter, wiping out the excess with a paper towel. Ladle a thin layer of the batter (about 2 tablespoons) into the center of the pan, tilting and rotating the pan to cover the bottom as thinly and evenly as possible. Lightly brown the first side for 1 to 2 minutes. Gently flip the crepe over, and brown the other side for about a minute. Turn out onto plastic wrap. The crepes may be covered and kept at room temperature for a few hours or refrigerated for up to two days. To reheat crepes, place in a covered baking dish, and transfer to an oven heated to 400 degrees until heated through.
• To serve, spread warm crepes with jam or butter. Drizzle lemon juice over the butter, and sprinkle with sugar. Fold into quarters, and serve immediately.