(Crêpes with Pecans and drizzled with Maple Butter Syrup.)
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are my days off. I had a sudden urge to make Crêpes today. Crêpes are very thin cooked pancakes that can be used for both sweet and savory dishes. The common ingredients include flour, milk, eggs, butter and a pinch of salt. Crêpes originated from Brittany, a region in the northwest of France. They are served with variety of fillings from the most simple with only sugar to flambéed Crêpes Suzette or elaborate savoury fillings.
**Beurre Suzette is a sauce of caramelized sugar and butter, orange/tangerine juice, zest, and Grand Marnier on top. Served Flambé.
I remember when I still a child and lived in the Phillipines, there was this lady going around our area selling these pancakes with butter spread and sugar. I absolutely loved it. I know it isn’t just a regular pancake, I’m still hunting down the recipe. However, Crêpes is the only thing that comes close. Besides, they are really simple to make. I dressed mine with Maple butter syrup with toasted pecans or you can opt for the simple powdered sugar.
Recipe from Le Cordon Bleu at Home. (Crêpes au Sucre)
What you’ll need..
¾ cup all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons (1½ ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
SIFT the flour, salt, and sugar into a bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Break the eggs into the well and add one-third of the milk. Gradually whisk the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until very smooth. Then whisk in the vanilla, butter, and the remaining milk. Let the batter rest 30 minutes at room temperature.
Heat a non-stick pan over moderate heat until hot. Rub some butter over the pan. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of batter into the pan and tilt the pan so that the batter runs around to make a circle. Don’t put too much batter in or the crêpe will be too thick. Let the batter set. After about 1 minute, check the color of the bottom of the crêpe to see if it’s a light golden color. Flip the crêpe. Cook for about 20-30 seconds. It takes a few crêpes to get the heat of the pan right and the amount of batter you need for each crêpe, so your first crêpe or two are for the chef, not your guests! ha.
**TIPS: If you love to cook and bake, I suggest buying wholesale eggs. I go through almost a dozen of eggs in less than a week. My mom and I went to Costco today and I was in heaven, lol. Two and a half dozen of eggs was only under $6.00!
TASTY NOTES;
You can make the crêpes in advance and sandwich them with wax paper and cover with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. Reheat as needed. You can also freeze them for later use.
Crêpes in any form are delicious. I love them on their own, butter and sugar spread, wrapped around ice cream, or served as an entrée. The batter for this sweet crêpe was perfect. I think it would be fun to experiment by adding poppy seeds or different liqueurs in place of the vanilla. Definitely a keeper!
Enjoy!
