With these easy tips, you might just be ready to have your own crêperie.
Crepes are made by cooking a thin layer of batter on a flat skillet. Unlike pancake batter, crepe batter does not contain leavening agents and contains more egg and milk compared to flour. And, unlike pancake batter, crepe batter should not have bubbles in it, making it therefore advisable to a) mix the batter thoroughly by whisking hard or utilizing a mixer to do the job, and b) leaving the batter to rest so that it loses its bubbles, resulting in a smooth crepe.
The basic crepe recipe is straightforward: you mix a cup of flour with salt and some sugar (as per your liking) and proceed to whisk in about two eggs and 1 1/2 cups of fresh milk (some people add butter and vanilla extract; it’s a preference really). I’ve tried this, and it worked. But sometimes, I barely manage to come out of the kitchen with a decent crepe and I wonder to myself what had happened.
Here’s what happened:
The Heat of the Crepe Pan
I did not do my best to take control of the skillet’s heat level. Medium heat is best: If your skillet is too hot, your crepe will undoubtedly burn and have dark brown patches, and you wouldn’t even have time to spread your crepe but it would start cooking anyways, which is tragic. If the heat of your skillet is too low, your crepe will take in the grease of your skillet, causing the almost-crepe to stick to the skillet, hence presenting to you the major problem of having to detach the crepe, in which the crepe would most likely turn out not very crepe-looking. I guess that’s why crêperies have those electric crepe makers instead of making them on the stove.
Grease it always
I. Did. Not. Grease. The. Pan. Skillet. Whatever you’re cooking your crepe on. At least not very well. You do this for the simple reason being to prevent the crepe from sticking to the pan so that flipping the crepe would be possible and so that ultimately, the crepe comes out smooth and unblemished. Many recipes recommend butter, like about three tablespoons of it, and although butter tastes good, it burns easily. Oil is better at keeping the crepe out of love with the skillet. Oil also lends a lovely and even shade of brown to your crepe. Indeed, bakers think butter isn’t so much of a pro at keeping your pan non-stick. Use vegetable oil instead. Or olive oil, which from my experience, works really well.
Timing
I didn’t wait for my crepe to crisp up. The idea is to have at least two minutes on each side. But really, go along with what you see and smell: If it has not browned to the extent you think it should, and if the amazing crepe-smell is not yet there, do continue to wait patiently by your crepe skillet. Crepes become cold quite fast; thus, in my opinion, it’s worth cooking them up to be crispier and hotter than soft.
Add’em On the Skillet
I didn’t spread Nutella and banana slices onto the crepe whilst the crepe was cooking. It might be obvious to some people, that one should insert crepe contents into the crepe while the crepe’s still cooking on the stove, but not many people do this, especially when they’re making it at home and are adding stuff like jam or Nutella. There will be a difference if you a) spread Nutella on your crepe as the crepe is almost done cooking versus b) spread Nutella after you’ve lifted your crepe onto your dinner plate (but again, it’s a matter of preference).
Is making crepes a huge challenge? It will be less of a challenge with these tips.
One more thing
One day, I’m going to get myself an electric crepe maker like at those fancy crêperies. It’s simply because I would REALLY like to make wider and thinner crepes like they do in France, which until now seems quite a feat to achieve with home-kitchen equipment.
P.S.: I’m curious to know how your dream crepe dish looks and tastes like…
References:
