The beauty of crepes is that they are so versatile. These homemade crepes can be made sweet or savory for a quick weeknight dinner.
About ten years ago, when my husband and I lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, one of our favorite restaurants to eat at when our meager grad student budget allowed was the European Connection (which I believe has since closed).
They made these huge, beautiful crepes, stuffed them with every type of sandwich filling under the sun, folded them, and presented them to be devoured.
Delicious, sandwich-style crepes are absolutely divine.
I recently wanted to try crepes and recreate some memories of them.
Now don’t laugh at me… I was too worried about burning or destroying the first dozen crepes. And the hairs on our ears stood up.
Surprisingly, this simple technique isn’t hard to master. A 10-inch nonstick skillet with regulated heat (you want a hot pan without burning the crepes) and a quick hand.
The result was a resounding success. I thought my kids were going to drop dead at the kitchen table when I announced they could have crepes with Nutella and strawberries for dinner. “You’re the best mom in the entire solar system!” Phrases like that weren’t uncommon that night.
Of course, I had to try the ham, asparagus, and Swiss cheese variations first, but still, the idea of crepes for dinner was a hit. And ham and Swiss crepes? Oh my goodness… such a great meal to pop into my mouth this year. No sarcasm. Salty ham, fresh asparagus, and melted Swiss cheese all wrapped up inside a soft crepe and drizzled with a warm, creamy mustard sauce… they were so delicious that I was craving the Nutella crepe so much that I wanted to go back for a second taste. One.
And that’s saying a lot because I love me some Nutella.
What can you serve with this?
The beauty of crepes is that they are so versatile! We serve them with butter, cinnamon and sugar, maple syrup (or any other kind of fruit syrup, currently chouxerie and plum), jam, dulce de leche. The options are endless and I see them popping up frequently in our house.
What are your favorite crepe toppings?
crepes
Makes: 10 crepes
Prep time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Cook time: 2 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 7 minutes
Materials needed
- 1 ¼ cup milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 minutes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a blender or large bowl with an electric mixer, combine the eggs, milk, flour, oil (or butter), and salt. Blend or blend on high speed until ingredients are well combined. Cover the batter and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. This helps the gluten relax, making the crepes even softer.
- When you are ready to cook the crepes, heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Spray the bottom and sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray. The pan should sizzle like crazy. The crepe batter should be hot before you pour it in.
- Briskly whisk the crepe batter to bring it back together and then measure out 1/4 cup of batter. Tilt the pan off the heat and pour the batter onto one side of the pan, immediately swirling the pan to coat the bottom. Return the pan to the heat and cook the crepe until the edges begin to brown, about 1 minute. Loosen the edge of the crepe with a heat-resistant spatula and gently (but quickly!) lift the edges of the hot crepe with your fingers and quickly flip them over.
- Cook on the other side for 30 seconds or until lightly browned. Transfer the crepe to a wire rack. It’s important to keep the pan hot so the crepes don’t burn. I moderated the oven heat to medium and just above so the crepes would cook quickly without burning. When you pour the crepe batter into the pan, you should hear a sizzling sound, but if you hear a smoky sound, the pan is too hot.
- Repeat with the remaining batter (spraying the pan with cooking spray for every 2-3 crepes), stacking the crepes as they finish cooking. Place the crepes on a baking sheet, cover loosely with foil, and place in a 200-degree oven for 20-30 minutes to cook the rest of the crepes.
- Serve the crepes with your favorite toppings. Some of ours include Nutella and strawberries, butter and cinnamon, and sugar, maple, or other fruit syrup. To store (or make ahead of time) leftover crepes: Once the crepes have cooled, layer them between pieces of parchment or wax paper. Wrap a layer of crepes in plastic and store in a resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw frozen crepes completely before carefully separating them.
Notes
Chill the Dough: If you want to chill and rest the dough for longer than 1-2 hours in the refrigerator, I recommend using an oil option instead of butter, as butter tends to solidify into mini clumps when refrigerated. More than two hours.
Ham, Asparagus, and Swiss Cheese Crepe Variation: In a medium bowl, mix together 8 ounces chopped cooked ham, 1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese, and a pinch of black pepper. Spoon 1/4 cup ham and cheese mixture into the center of each crepe, top with 2 asparagus spears cut in half (so four asparagus spears per crepe). Roll enchilada style. Place crepes seam side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake crepes at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted and crepes are golden brown. While crepes are baking, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet. Add 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Gently stir in 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth and 1 cup low-fat milk until smooth. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently, and simmer for 3-4 minutes until thickened. Stir in 2 tablespoons ground mustard (use more to taste) and salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm ham and asparagus crepes with sauce.
