Chestnut Crêpes in my kitchen
You can find many different kinds of Crêpes in Parisian restaurants and cafes as well as at the to-go windows of the Crêperies throughout the busy sections of the city. Filled with anything from ham and eggs to chantilly – whipped cream – these petite meals, or just plain treats, are easy to make and a truly versatile, standard fare in Paris!!
A Little History
French crêpes originated in Bretagne, in the west of France, although you will find a form of them throughout all the regions of Europe. Crêpes have probably been around since French cooks first started cooking with wheat. They are traditionally thought of as a French dish, but they have history in ancient Rome, as well as every other ancient culture that figured out how to mix up a batter and use a fire. The difference is that the French, of course, have made crêpe making into an art form!
Created as a substitute for bread when wheat was scarce, their main duty is to serve as a vehicle for transporting the fillings inside them. Crêpes can take on two forms, savory and sweet. Savory Crêpes, or Galettes, are heavy and earthy tasting, made with buckwheat flour. Sweet Crêpes are light and sweet and made with wheat flour and a little sugar. A meal made of crêpes can be easy and fun to make as well as filling.
The difference between pancakes and crêpes is that the crêpe batter is thinner and is spread very thinly with a long tongued spatula over the entire surface of the crêpe pan, while a pancake is made from a thicker batter that gets plopped by the spoonful onto a hot greasy skillet.
Crêpes!
A Basic Sweet Crêpe Recipe
This is a small recipe inspired by The Joy of Cooking
Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour – all purpose or pastry; whole wheat is too heavy so don’t use that
1/4 cup of milk of your choice
1/8 cup water at room temperature
1 egg
3 teaspoons of sugar – fine white sugar is best, turbinado is not a good choice for this recipe
1 tablespoon of melted butter
Pinch of salt
Powdered confectioner’s sugar to sprinkle on top.
Add a pinch, just a pinch, of cinnamon to the batter for flair.
Utensils:
Mixing bowl
A ladle, or 2 cup liquid measuring cup with a spout
Crêpe pan or a seasoned cast iron griddle will do, but a skillet won’t work for this project because it has sides which prohibit turning the crêpe
A long tongued metal spatula
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in the mixing bowl and stir until all the dry ingredients are moistened.
Let the batter stand for at least 30 minutes, until the flour has absorbed the moisture.
The batter can be kept in the frigo for up to 2 days.
Have your filling ingredients ready and handy.
Heat the griddle on a medium heat.
Rub the hot griddle with butter until it is covered.
Pour about two or three tablespoons of batter onto the center of the pan/griddle and spread it out with the spatula towards the edges of the pan, making it as thing as possible.
When the crêpe has set and the underside is a bit golden, use the spatula to turn the crêpe.
If you are making crêpes for a meal, then grab a plate. When the crêpe is done, spoon on the filling, spreading out over half of the crêpe.
Fold the crêpe in half, then in half again making a triangule shape.
Fillings:
Spread half of the crêpe with Nutella or another kind of melted or spreadable chocolate.
Warmed fruits such as sautéed apples or peaches, jams, sauces or fruit or nut purees make wonderful fillings.
Simple sweet crêpes can be solely brushed with butter for a simple treat.
Top sweet filled crêpes with whipped cream or dust with powdered sugar.
You can roll the crêpe into a cylinder around the stuffing rather than folding it into triangles.
Variations of crêpes are limited only by your imagination!
Serve warm.
Bon Appétit!