Crepe is a lighter French pancake. It tastes delicious with or without filling. You can fill it with butter, sugar, jam, chocolate, even ingredients that taste savory. This article explains how to make dough, cook and serve crepes along with various filling ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 cup liquid milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons of melted butter
Step
Part 1 of 4: Making the Dough
Step 1. Beat eggs and salt
Start by cracking the eggs and putting them in a bowl. Use a whisk to mix the egg yolks and whites. Add salt and continue to beat until everything is well combined.
Step 2. Alternately add milk and flour
Measure out half a cup of flour and add it to the egg mixture. Mix until only a few small lumps appear. Then add half a cup of milk to the mixture, and mix until smooth. Continue to add milk and flour alternately until both ingredients are used up.
- Beating the milk and flour a little at a time will help you combine all the ingredients, otherwise your dough will become lumpy.
- When you're done adding the milk and flour, your dough should look smooth.
- If you prefer to use low-fat milk, you can also use it as a substitute.
Step 3. Add sugar and butter
Finish the dough by adding the sugar, and then adding the butter. Keep stirring until your dough is soft and there are no lumps, and a bright yellow color. The final consistency of your dough should be runny, like liquid milk; if it looks like pancake batter, add another 1/2 cup milk to it.
Part 2 of 4: Cooking Crepe
Step 1. Heat the frying pan
You can cook crepes in a non-stick frying pan, a special crepe fryer, or a regular fryer. Choose a frying pan with a diameter of 8 inches. Place on the stove and turn on medium heat, let the frying pan heat up. Spray on non-stick cooking spray, or your crepes will stick to the pan.
Step 2. Pour in the crepe batter
Place about 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the frying pan. Pouring too much batter will result in a thick crepe, and you'll want a thin crepe. Use a 1/4 cup size or use a teacup to get the right amount.
Step 3. Turn the dough
Lift the pan and move your hands in a circular motion to spread the batter all over the pan and form a thin layer. If you need to add a little batter to coat the pan, then add more.
Step 4. Let the crepes cook
Place the skillet back on the stove and allow the crepes to cook until the top layer is slightly moist. Use a spatula to gently flip the sides of the crepe; The crepe should be easy to lift and have a smooth pattern on the reverse side. This is the perfect time to flip the crepes.
- If the crepe looks soggy in the middle, wait a little longer.
- Do not overcook the crepe or it will turn out to be chewy. Cook the crepes for a little while, usually the crepes will be ready to turn in 45 seconds.
Step 5. Flip the crepes
Slide the spatula under the crepe so that it supports the center and most of its weight. Carefully turn the crepe over to the other side. Immediately fold and flip the crepe so that it cooks evenly. It only takes about 20 to 30 seconds to cook the rest of the crepe.
- Practice so you can flip the crepe perfectly. If you break one crepe, put it in your mouth and cook another crepe.
- A trained chef can flip a crepe without using a spatula. Try it if you want!
Step 6. Remove the crepes from the pan
Slowly slide the crepe from the skillet onto a plate. Use a spatula to help you. Continue making the crepe until you run out of dough.
Part 3 of 4: Serving Crepe
Step 1. Classically serve crepes with butter and sugar filling
This crepe filling is the most famous in France. The simple taste of butter and sugar allows the mild taste of the dough to really be felt. Heat a little butter in a frying pan. Then when the butter starts to melt, add the crepes to the frying pan. Let it cook in the butter for about 45 seconds, then flip to the other side. Sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar over the crepe. Fold in half, and fold back. Place the crepes on a plate and serve.
- A little squeeze of lemon juice will also taste delicious for this simple crepe filling.
- Try using different types of sugar. Brown sugar and powdered sugar are good substitutes for granulated sugar.
Step 2. Serve the crepes with the chocolate filling
Crepes can be a special dessert with a rich chocolate filling. The process for making these chocolate crepes is simple: melt the butter in a frying pan, add the crepes and let one side cook for 45 seconds, then flip. Sprinkle chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks over the crepe. Fold in half, and fold again. Place on a plate and serve.
Step 3. Serve the crepes with the fruit filling
Strawberries, peaches, apples and plums make a delicious crepe filling, especially with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. You can use fresh fruit or canned fruit as a crepe filling.
Step 4. Serve the crepe with the savory stuffing
Crepes can be a substitute for your lunch sandwich. Melt cheese over a crepe, and top with minced meat, asparagus, spinach, or other greens. Fold in half, and fold again, then serve.
Part 4 of 4: Get Creative with Various Flavors of Stuffing
Step 1. Make the banana flambe crepe
This famous dessert tastes even better when used as a light sweet crepe filling. To make it, all you need are bananas, brown sugar, butter and brandy. Melt the butter in a frying pan, and add the banana slices. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of brown sugar and let it caramelize. When the bananas have turned brown, place them in the crepe, pour the warm brandy on top, and use a match to light the fire so that the caramelization is complete.
- This dish is delicious when served with chilled whipped cream to balance the warm filling.
- Add cinnamon and nutmeg for a warm and flavorful taste.
Step 2. Use hazelnut or fruit butter
Hazelnuts that taste like chocolate are one of the most popular crepe fillings in France and other countries. This filling will complement the lightness of the crepe.
- Sprinkle the hazelnut butter along with the chopped roasted nuts if you want it crunchier.
- For a tastier version of the filling, cook the crepe with melted butter before adding the hazelnut jam.
- You can substitute hazelnut butter for peanut butter if you prefer.
Step 3. Make a savory crepe with salad
Crepe filling with savory ingredients is another way to enjoy this dish. Serve crepe sald at lunch or a light dinner. Try some of these variations:
- Chicken salad crepes. Mix cooked minced chicken, mayonnaise. chopped grapes, salt and pepper. Place a sheet of butter lettuce on top of the crepe, put the salad mixture in it, roll it up and enjoy.
- Meat salad crepes. Combine the minced meat, cheddar cheese, onions, and vinegar. Take this mixture and put it in the crepe. Roll and serve. #* Lentil salad crepe. Mix the cooked lentils, chopped celery, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Take and put in a crepe, garnish with parsley, roll up and serve.
Step 4. Make a crepe with seasonal vegetables
Crepe is a food that is suitable for all types of vegetables. Cook vegetables that are in season with your favorite seasoning, serve with cheese as a complement.
- In spring, fill the crepe with artichokes or cooked asparagus and sprinkle with goat cheese.
- In summer, try the tomato and zucchini crepe with mozzarella and fresh basil.
- For fall, fill a crepe with ripe pumpkin or acorn squash and serve with melted gruyere cheese.
- In winter, fill crepes with sautéed kale or Brussels sprouts, dried cranberries and grated cheddar cheese.
Tips
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For a sweet crepe, try these fillings:
- Grated chocolate
- Honey
- Nutella
- Peanut butter
- Sweet cream cheese
- If you are making enough crepes for several people, place the crepes in a plate in a warm 90 C oven so they will stay warm until you are ready to arrange them.
- You don't need a special frying pan to make crepes. You can buy a fancy or electric fryer, but if you have a small non-stick frying pan, you can already make a crepe.
- Adding homemade whipped cream with fruit rolled into a cone is another way to serve a crepe.
- Speed up the crepe cooking process using two frying pans: Put the batter into an 8" frying pan, then flip to a larger frying pan. Then put the batter back into the 8" frying pan while waiting for the first crepes to cook.
- Add a little vanilla extract and cinnamon sugar to the mixture. These two ingredients will add to the sweetness of the crepe.
