The Muffin Method: Crepes

This video was the most fun to make. Even though it was just me and my husband, and we had leftovers for days, it was like a party. The recipe for Crepes and possible fillings is below.

Crepe Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 4 eggs

  • 2 cups skim milk or 1 cup whole milk and 1 cup water

  • for sweet: 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • for savory: 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 cup butter melted

  • for sweet: 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

  1. mix all dry ingredients together.

  2. mix all wet ingredients together

  3. combine the two (you can use a stick blender to get out lumps, but don’t overmix because they will be tough.)

  4. Let sit in the fridge overnight if possible, but if you don’t have time, carry on.

  5. Heat your crepe maker up to medium heat. If you don’t have a crepe maker, use a pan or griddle with a flat surface.

  6. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter on the griddle and spread out in a thin layer. If it is not spreading thinly, you may need to add a bit more water or milk to the batter.

Once the edges get dry, flip over. Watch the video for technique. The crepe maker works well for this since it is completely flat. The first one is usually a throw away since you are refining technique.

Cream Cheese filling

  1. Place 8 oz cream cheese in a mixer and whip up

  2. Add 1/2 cup of cream or milk and 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla and whip until desired consistency is reached.

Ricotta filling

  • For sweet, mix 1 cup of ricotta with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla with a hand mixer.

  • For savory, mix 1 cup of ricotta with 1 teaspoon of salt and the herbs of your choice. Good options are:

    • basil

    • parsley

    • thyme

    • oregano

Sweet filling ideas:

  • Nutella

  • Cream Cheese filling

  • Ricotta Cheese filling

  • Whipped cream

  • Nutella

  • Bananas

  • Berries

  • Pastry Cream

  • Powdered Sugar

Savory Filling Ideas

  • Ricotta Cheese Filling

  • Feta

  • Other Cheeses

  • Eggs

  • Bacon

  • Avocado

  • Tomatoes

  • Spinach

  • Kale

  • Seasoned Sour Cream

  • Country ham

Hints for preparation

  • If you are not able to make your batter the day before, make it the day of and strain before making. This will get out lumps and make your crepes more consistent. The reason that you let the batter sit is to let the flour fully hydrate, you will get better results from letting it sit, but some crepes are better than no crepes.

  • If you decide to flip with your hands but are nervous, I have found a cheap pair of dollar store winter gloves with some food safe gloves and you will be protected more from burning. Otherwise, a silicone spatula works great. I like to use NSF, or food service, grade spatulas because they are designed to stand up to heat and abuse.

  • Prepare all of your toppings before hand. Cold crepes are a bit weird, so having everything ready to go will ensure the best quality.

  • If you are having a party and want to keep your fillings warm, but about 2 inches of water in a crock pot and add a dish towel to the bottom to protect your containers and turn it on low. Place your heat proof containers in the crock pot on top of the towel. If you leave the lid on when not using, it will keep fillings from drying out.

  • Cold fillings can be placed in a tray of ice. Don’t use the ice in drinks after using it to keep toppings cool.

  • Don’t be afraid to have guests make their own crepes. There is a reason that people hang out in the kitchen at parties. It is where the magic is. The reason for the party is being together, not you serving an ideal, perfect, prepared dish. Mess ups become moments you can all laugh. Successes become things you can all celebrate.

Crepes are wonderful for stretching out little bits of leftovers from the week. It takes a piecemeal evening and turns it into a special occasion. It is also a way to feed a lot of people for a party without having to purchase as much food. The crepes themselves are very inexpensive in food costs so it helps you throw a “fancy party” with very little money. They also double as entree and dessert. We have a crepe restaurant near us and my best friend and I love to have one of us order a savory and one order a sweet and split both. (One should never have to choose)

You might think it strange that a person who hates extra kitchen stuff has a crepe maker. The reason for that is that a crepe maker is not just a crepe maker. It is a griddle and works amazingly for warming tortillas for tacos. Which my husband does often. It works for cooking pancakes, bacon and eggs, and since it is only two of us, the size is perfect. It takes up less room than a traditional griddle. We do have a large stovetop griddle that covers 2 eyes, but the crepe maker is super easy to pop out of the cabinet and pop back in. (let it cool before putting away though)

I think one thing that holds people back from crepes is that they think they are difficult to make, but they are actually very simple to make and if you mess them up, who cares. The ingredients are cheap. This is a fun recipe to practice with and play with technique. Food doesn’t have to be perfect or even pretty to taste good. My Mima’s ugliest cakes tasted the best. Messy and ugly things taste amazing. There is an idea in the cooking world that you have to be perfect to cook. Nothing could be further from the truth. Play around with your food. Oftentimes, you will learn something new that you like or can make. One of my biggest ideas as a teacher is that you learn much more from mistakes than from happening to get it right. Mess up, give yourself permission, laugh at it and move on.

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Erin Mercs