Sunday, March 20, 2011

Sunday Crepes

For nearly a year now, Tyler and I have had the tradition of making crepes for our Sunday brunch. Crepes are not too hard to make, but just take time and patience, the perfect way to start a lazy Sunday.
And right now, everyone related to me is shouting "Danish Hotcakes! Not Crepes! Resist the Dark Side!" and I don't care because I would rather use a word that is understood by more people. I call them crepes, and you-all are too far away to smack me upside the head.

Crepes
1 cup flour (all whole wheat, or half and half, or even half buckwheat)
a pinch salt
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp honey, optional
1 cup milk
2 eggs

In a bowl, mix the flour and salt. Whisk in the milk until there are no lumps, then whisk in the rest of the wet ingredients. Let the batter rest for a few minutes.
Heat a large nonstick pan on the stove on medium, and very lightly oil. Pour about 1/4 cup of crepe batter in the middle of the pan, and swirl slightly to spread it, then smooth the batter out over the hot pan with the back of a spatula using a spiraling motion from the middle to the outside. - this step takes practice, you will mangle a few before you get the hang of it. It's ok.
When the crepe is set, flip it over and cook a on the other side for a few seconds, then remove to a plate and continue with the next crepe.
If you are an expert, you can handle many pans at once, but I find for a small group there are better uses for the spare burners, like...

Fillings:

Apple Pie Filling
2 large Apples, cored and chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1/3 cup water
some honey

Put your cored chopped apples in a small pot with a good lid, sprinkle with cinnamon and a little honey, cover, and heat on the back burner on low, opening and stirring occasionally. When the apples seem softened to your liking, add the cornstarch water, mix well, and cover, letting the cornstarch cook through. Taste and adjust the cinnamon and honey to your liking.
If the apples are very sweet, you might want to add a squeeze of lemon juice to the filling for extra deliciousness.
Crepes filled with apple pie filling are especially good with whipped cream on top.

Lemon Filling
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 eggs
1 cup water
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp lemon zest, optional
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
In a blender, mix all the ingredients except the butter and vanilla. Transfer the mixture to a small pot and cook on low, stirring often to prevent sticking. When the filling has boiled through and is very thick, remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Adjust the lemon and honey until the filling is to your liking.

To eat Crepes, lay a crepe on your plate, spread a line of filling down the middle. With one tine of your fork, puncture the edge of the crepe, roll the crepe over the filling around your fork, then gently pull your fork free. If you attempt to roll your crepe with your fingers at my table you will get disapproving looks and/or ridicule. If you do so at my mother's table, you will get your hands smacked.
Enjoy!

4 comments:

  1. thanks i will definitely be using this soon. i have been trying to increase my cooking abilities after just starting to live on my own now. Ive been posting pics and descriptions of the meals i cook on facebook.

    Crepes is something Ive wanted to try for a while now! thanks Hanna

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  2. Mmm. Yum! We often did crepes in my family with fresh fruit and maybe a sprinkle of powdered sugar (berries, banana, pineapple). William had to teach me the whole, "roll it with a fork" part though- can't say we ever did that! But I was warned I'd get corrected quite speedily otherwise, so I'm figuring it out! :)

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  3. LuLu smaks you mediforicly (sp) Hanna how could you they are danish hot cake taught to your great grandmother by her son in law who was a dane who in turn taught them to your grandma who taught them to me who taught them to you . but i agree they make a great brunch

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