HOLY CREPE'S BATMAN!

The original recipe I used for crepes can be found on http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/crepes-recipe/index.html which is the official Food Network Website, courtesy of one of my food hero's Alton Brown.

I actually had a request from a Facebook friend that I do crepes this week. For those who don't know, crepes are a like a French pancake that is used like a taco. Unlike tacos and pancakes crepes are delicate, thin, tender, and very intimidating to the average American home cook. Why? Because we are dumb enough to believe you need a machine or "special crepe pan" or even real skill to make this little delights. You do need certain equipment, you do need a little practice, maybe some patience, but you CAN make you're own crepes at home. Husbands/Boyfriends, if you can pull this off use this on your significant other for special occasions, you will be considered AWESOME!

This recipe calls for:
2 Large Eggs
3/4 Cup O' Milk
1/2 Cup O' H2O
1 Cup O' Flour
3 Table Spoons Melted Butter
Butter to coat the Pan with.

Equipment:
Blender
Pan
Maybe a Spatula

Start by putting all the properly measured ingredients in to the blender. (Easy right? No proper order, no "muffin method", just one big pile O' stuff) Remember for the flour you want a LEVEL cup. This can be achieved by scooping up way too much, and leveling off with a knife. Remember also to melt the butter. Butter usually comes with "cut lines" that will tell you how much to cut off to get a tablespoon or multiple tablespoons.

Once all the ingredients are in the blender, pulse for 10 seconds. That's it. That's all. 10 seconds. You don't want to over work this batter, or gluten will start to form and you'll have elastic crepes, not cool. 

After you have blended this for 10 seconds you need to put this mixture in the refrigerator for a MINIMUM OF 1 HOUR. But awesomely enough this will hold for 48, so you can actually do this almost two days in advance. The reason the hour wait is vital is because it allows air bubbles to escape, making the batter stronger and less likely to tear. 

Now that you have allowed the batter to rest for an hour get out your pan. Now, there are "crepe pans" available in stores. They range from $20 to $80. You don't need it. If it makes you feel better or more French, be my guest. BUT if you have a pan with rounded edges that is about 8" or 9" wide you actually have a perfect crepe pan.

You'll want to heat your pan and rub the left over butter stick all around it to make sure you have enough lube so the crepe wont stick. This also provides some flavor to the crepe. Do not melt the entire stick, a thin coat all around the pan will do wonderfully.

Here is where the work begins. Poor the batter, about a little less than a half cup in this pan's case, in the middle of the pan. IMMEDIATELY START TO TILT THE PAN IN A CIRCULAR MOTION! This will evenly distribute the batter and ensure thinness and shape. 

Eventually the batter will no longer spread, and it will start the actual cooking process. Watch the edges and look for them to start to dry and curl back a bit. The middle should start to look dry as well. It's time to flip. You can either pancake flip it (my preference) or you can use a spatula. *NOTE: The pancake flip will preserve the shape better, and is way less likely to tear.

After that you will simply slide the crepe off the pan on to a cut board, or appropriate surface to cool off and dry. I decided to make a movie of this process in case it became confusing for anyone, also it helps to actually see the process, not just read it.  I will cover storage and toppings after.

I hope you all enjoyed my first shot at Food Stardom! Now you know how to make a crepe, what do you do with it? That's the awesome thing about crepe's, ANYTHING GOES! There are savory crepe recipes that use herbs, veggies, even meat. Mostly in the US you see sweet crepe recipes, and the following is actually an idea I got off another food hero of mine, Paula Deen. 

This is very simple. You take Nutella, smear it around the entire middle. Then you add a line of cut bananas, and fold the crepe as pictured below. Then you simply cut some more banana on top, and drizzle some chocolate syrup. 

Very fancy looking, very simple. This is a great treat anytime. You are not limited to chocolate though. Personally my favorite crepe's have been simply filled with a vanilla custard and assorted fresh berries, with whipped cream on the top. The sky is the limit for fillings and toppings with crepes. 

If you have left over crepes, you can either refrigerate or freeze them. After they've cooled and dried off a bit simply stack them and put them in to a Ziploc bag. 

Thus concludes my French American revolution of crepes! I hope this has inspired some of you to explore this versatile little food, and showed others it's not as difficult as it would seem. Most importantly, have fun with it, that's what food is actually for you know! Eat well everyone!