Soirée Crêpes

Allow me to indulge in a personal story. One of my first afternoons on my own in Paris I decided to explore the Quartier Latin. It was a bitterly cold, grey, January day; a misty rain had started to fall. All of a sudden the most beautiful smell overtook me: a crêpe maker on the street corner had just poured batter onto to his pan. As I watched it got even better. This crêpe maker, nay, this artist, spread Nutella (if you don't know what that is, that's the spread of the gods) all over the crêpe, let it melt for a few seconds, then folded it with a flick of the wrist and handed it to his customer. Needless to say I was next to order.



This joy can be yours too, to share with whom you will. I've hosted several soirées crêpes since I got back from the City of Lights, and I have yet to meet somebody who does not love those Continental cousins of the pancake. I got this recipe while I was in Paris, and it has yet to fail me:

Pâte à crêpes facile

1 cup of flour
1 cup of milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon of olive oil
a pinch of salt

Crêpes are not that difficult to make if you have the right tools. Although you don't really need a real crêpe pan, at the very least a smooth, non-stick pan is absolutely essential. A multitude of crêpe pans are available online, as well as crêpe spreaders, which are a cheap and extremely helpful little tool. When you're actually making the crêpes, keeping your pan at the right temperature is important. Practice makes perfect, and as far as crêpes are concerned, even the mistakes can be pretty tasty.



Once you've made the crêpes themselves, your culinary creativity is really the only limit to what you put on them. Aside from the obvious Nutella, any number of fresh fruits and berries are delicious. A little whipped cream (real whipped cream, not "whipped topping") is always a good idea. Crêpes Suzettes are a surprising treat: sprinkle a little white sugar, then squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the crêpe before rolling it up. It's a deliciously light and refreshing dessert.



Crêpes don't always have to be a sweet treat; they make a wonderful dinner, too. Ham and swiss cheese with a bit of salt and pepper, or maybe a little spicy mustard, is fabulous. Another topping that my family loves (although the authenticity is debatable, its tasty enough that I don't worry too much) is zucchini sautéed with onions and garlic in olive oil. Eggs, tomatoes, shrimp, cheese, spinach... the sky's the limit. Here are couple of great recipes from my bona fide French crêpe cook book, Soirée crêpe by Anne-Cécile Fichaux and Jérôme Odouard (each fills four crêpes):

Crêpes aux épinards

2 1/2 cups fresh spinach
2/3 cup roquefort
3/4 cup fromage de brousse or ricotta
2/3 cup pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste

Wash the spinach, remove the stems, and steam it for 5 minutes. Place the spinach in a sieve and use a wooden spoon to press out as much water as possible. Let it drain for 30 minutes. Use a fork to crumble the roquefort. Mix the spinach with the fromage de brousse/ricotta, salt, and pepper. Then combine the spinach with the pine nuts and roquefort. Put all the goodness in a hot crêpe, fold, and enjoy.


Crêpes aux poires à la vanille

2 teaspoons of vanilla
2/3 cup of cream
6 tablespoons of brown sugar
3 pears, not too ripe
1 1/2 tablespoons of butter

Bring to a boil the cream with the vanilla and half the sugar. As soon as it begins to boil turn down the heat and let it infuse for an hour . Peel and slice the pears, and sauté them over low heat with the butter and the remaining sugar. Put the pears in a hot crêpe, fold it, then pour the cream on top.