Basic Crepe Recipe (For Sweet or Savory Crepes)

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Basic Crepe Recipe (For Sweet or Savory Crepes)

My first time ever seeing a crepe was when I was 20. It was in February and I needed a quick hot break from the cold Montana winters and because of it, I booked a somewhat last minute trip to Las Vegas to see my mom and god mom and get some Vitamin D mixed with some good old fashion fun and family time.

That weekend, I spent a lot of time alone wandering the strip taking it all in trying to re-calibrate my mind back to normalcy and what the rest of the school semester would look like (because really, that trip was also about figuring out my next move). And as I was walking in the Paris Hotel, I took a detour through the buffet and that’s when I saw them. I saw a crepe maker making these delicately beautiful crafts of art filled with all my favorite things – Nutella, berries, chocolate. I was entranced.

And from that moment on, I was determined to try them. Upon returning home that weekend I was on a mission to figure out how to make crepes. And with that the journey began.

My dear friend and I (with the help of her specialty food business) bought four crepe machines, had my boyfriend (now husband) make wooden dowels for spinning them and together we got to work on figuring out just how to make them like a pro.  Shortly after, my friend and I created a crepe business and started selling them at the farmers market in the summer and by the end of the first couple of weeks, we had lines and lines of new and repeat customers each Saturday morning. By fall, we had started teaching cooking classes on crepe making and were sourced out for catering local events. Needless to say, it became a full-fledged business that lasted years, got me through college, paid for a few fun hoorays and a lot of my living expenses for those years.

While those days are gone (and man, do I kick myself every day for not growing and continuing that business), I still make crepes often. We have them on birthdays as well as special holidays and when family comes to visit, it’s the number one request.

Here, I’ve recorded my favorite basic crepe batter recipe for you all. This recipe is hands down the best I’ve tried (and trust me – I’ve tried them all) and is so easy, its hard to mess up. You can make these as is or add sweet ingredients such as cocoa powder or cinnamon for dessert crepes or oregano or garlic to make them savory. I’ve been known to keep them simple for the sake of it and prefer putting my entire flavor into the crepe insides.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

For these, I still use my old electric crepe pans from CucinaPro and dowels but this recipe will also work in a well-greased fry pan like this one from Ballarini, provided you have even heat.

When we make them at my house, we prep a lot of ingredients ahead of time (scrambled eggs, sausage, sliced tomatoes, peppers and onions and sliced strawberries and homemade whip) so when it’s crepe day, they are fast and easy to whip up. If I want crepes without the prep, we simply do the traditional French version with a dash of lemon juice, a sprinkle of powdered sugar and a dollop of whip cream. When I make this kind, my son will devour six or seven in just one sitting.

Note that with any crepe batter, it is important you make the batter ahead of time and let it rest before using it as this helps to relieve any air bubbles. I’ve seen recipes that say to let it rest for an hour but I often only let it rest for 10 minutes or so and they still turn out beautiful. With this, it is up to you. It’s also important to note that all crepe batters depend on a quality consistency and that is largely a factor of how it is made by blending the wet ingredients first.

I’ve also found that the batter will last up to three days after it is made. So, I often whip a batch up in the blender a couple of days ahead of visitors or holidays.

Ingredients

2 large eggs

¾ cup whole milk

½ cup water

3 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil (I use Sweet Cream Butter or Blood Orange olive oil from Olivelle)

1 cup flour

¼ teaspoon salt (optional) (I use Sel Gris French Grey Sea Salt from Olivelle)

Directions

1. In a blender (I use this Ninja Pro) or food processor, blend the eggs, milk, water and butter (or oil) until combined. Add the flour and salt and blend until mixed and smooth ensuring to stop the blender occasionally to push the flour down into the wet ingredients. Try not to over blend the batter, just enough for it to be combined and smooth, about 10 seconds.
2. Place your batter in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or up to an hour to let the batter rest. During this, the air bubbles from mixing will be released making it an even smoother consistency. In a time crunch, this step can be bypassed. If skipped, your crepes will still be delicious, just not as smooth.
3. While the batter is resting, collect your inside crepe ingredients whether you are doing sweet or savory ones.
4. When ready to cook, heat a small non-stick fry pan or electric crepe machine to medium heat. Carefully coat the pan with butter or olive oil then pour 1-1/2 ounces of the crepe batter into the center of the pan. If you using a fry pan, quickly then swirl the pan to spread the batter evenly. If using an electric crepe machine, use a wooden dowel (Amazon has this awesome one) to spin your crepe out to the outer edges of the pan.
5. Once spinned out if you are using a dowel, rinse your dowel in water. I prefer to have a little Tupperware dish next to my machine I put my dowel in automatically after spinning the crepes out to do this.
6. Wait about 30 seconds then carefully flip your crepe. To do this, use a rubber spatula with a thin edge to help you grab the crepe and flip (you need not be a professional as you will get the hang of it after a few tries).
7. Once flipped, cook for 5-10 seconds more then start filling your crepe in the outermost middle left section with your ingredients. Once everything is in side, flip the other side over the ingredients to make a crescent shape, then flip the two top and bottom edges over onto the area that has the inside ingredients to make your crepe look like a pocket. You can also roll your crepes up or create a triangle if you prefer.
8. Serve warm garnished with whip cream, hollandaise sauce or parsley, depending on the style of crepe you make.
9. Continue to pour and flip crepes until the batter is gone. If not using immediately, you can make the crepes ahead of time and turn over onto a cutting board or counter top. Once cooled, the crepes can be stacked and stored for another day. They will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator or for up to two months in the freezer if you separate each crepe with parchment paper.
10. If not using all your batter at once, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days as well.

Crepe Filling Ideas

Savory Crepes:

Scrambled eggs

Sausage

Diced Ham

Saluted peppers and onions

Diced potato hash browns with rosemary

Cheddar Cheese (or any cheese really)

Tomatoes

Red Pepper Hollandaise (or Thousand Island dressing)

Sweet Crepes:

Nutella

Berries, apples, pears, bananas, oranges or peaches

Cheeses (Brie or cheddar with pears, Gouda with peaches), etc. 

Honey

Caramel Sauce

Chocolate Sauce

Whipped Cream (we keep a homemade canister in the refrigerator). If needing a canister, I use the older version of this EurKithcen one. Make sure to also buy the N20 Cartridges.

Sea Salt

Lemon Juice

Powdered Sugar

However, these are so versatile. You really could add whatever you wanted to them or only use a few ingredients in each. I recommend you pick your favorite foods and start there.

For Fun Batter Variations, Try Adding These:

Savory Versions – Add ¼ teaspoon fresh herbs like rosemary or basil to the batter when blending. If using dried herbs, use 1/8 a teaspoon. We love oregano and garlic as well as red pepper or onion powder. We also occasionally do margarita crepes where we use sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil in our batter.

Sweet Versions – Try adding ½ to 1 Tablespoon sugar to the batter along with either vanilla or almond extract. You can also add cinnamon or other similar spices or your favorite liqueur for a welcomed change. Stevia extract is also a great substitution for the sugar.

Drop us a line and let us know if you plan to or have tried these! We’d love to know your thoughts!