Nothing can save me from my miserable, zombie-like school mornings quite like French class. I absolutely love learning about the French language, culture, and, of course, cuisine. Our teacher always jumps at an opportunity to show us fun different recipes, but unfortunately for me, I'm not much of a chef (I'm sure you can ask a few people about my incident with Ramen noodles and almost burning down the house). On the bright side, crepes are an easy recipe for the cooking impaired, such as myself, and can be made with basic ingredients you can find around the house!
To get started, you'll want to find a large bowl, mixing spoon, measuring cups, a skillet, spatula, and a ladle. There will also be a few ingredients you'll need to gather.
Ingredients for Crepe Shells:
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- dash of salt
Preparation:
To begin, take your bowl and put in all your ingredients, except the flour, and mix them together. Once smooth, slowly start adding in flour.
Continue mixing in the flour until the batter has a nice, smooth consistency to it. I had a little help to make sure it turned out right. Once you're done mixing the batter, you can either choose to refrigerate it over night or cook it immediately after.
Cooking:
When you're ready to get cooking, find a reasonable sized skillet and put it over medium heat. Be sure to butter your pan so your food doesn't stick!
Next, pour about 1/4 cup of batter into your skillet. Personally, I just ladle the batter straight out from the bowl. If you're pouring freehand, just be sure a very THIN layer is covering the bottom. As soon as you pour it in, start swirling the pan around so it lays evenly.
Now comes the interesting part. Let your crepe cook for around 30-45 seconds, more or less depending on how much batter you used. When you go to flip your crepe, the edges should lift up pretty easily underneath your spatula. If not, wait a few more seconds and try again. Don't worry if you don't get it right the first time! My first crepe is usually the sacrifice of the bunch, but the trials are worth it in the end!
Once you've flipped your crepe over, it should be pretty much done. Let it cook on the other side for 10-15 more seconds or until ready and relay your finished product onto a plate.
Fillings:
After the shells have cooled a little bit, you can get ready to eat them by putting in your desired filling! For French club fundraisers, we normally use whipped cream and chocolate syrup, but you can fill them with anything like nutella, jam, or ice cream. My personal favorite however is using a special cream cheese filling and fresh fruit.
Making the filling is a breeze and definitely worth it. All you have to do is mix the following ingredients in a small bowl, and you're good to go!
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Filling:
- 2 ounces softened cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 4 teaspoons milk
- A couple drops of vanilla extract
When you're done with the cream, spread a small spoonful around the center of the shell, leaving a little space on the outside. From there, you can top it off with any kind of fruit like strawberries, bananas, or raspberries. Today I'm using blueberries.
Once you've filled your crepe the way you like, wrap it up like you would a taco shell and sprinkle a small layer of your remaining powdered sugar over the top. After that, all that's left is to grab a fork, and you're ready to eat!
I love making crepes as a dessert or a snack to share with friends. However, this fun French recipe can also be turned into breakfast, lunch, or dinner with a simple change of filling. I hope you found this guide useful and enjoy eating your crepes as much as I do!
Bon appetit!
Author's Note: Sources: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/fruit--n--cream-crepes
