To celebrate a beautiful weekend at home with our daughter before she returned to school, we had a Crêpes Sunday. Our adventure is below, along with recipe links for King Arthur Baking's Parisian Crêpes and my recipes for two fruit sauces.
My daughter loves crêpes and got me hooked too. Her preferred fillings of late have been apples with cheddar or lemon sugar.
We have made them together a couple of times at home in the largest and flattest skillet we could find (which was not all that flat, nor all that large.) They were thin, and delicate, and we enjoyed them simply dressed with drizzles of chocolate sauce and a mound of whipped cream.
For Christmas this year I was blessed with many exciting new kitchen tools and toys. Among them was a beautiful crêpe pan from Mauviel. The pan is flat, simple, and shallow. It was also curiously coated in beeswax, which was a first for me.
The tag on the pan explained the wax protects the pan prior to purchase from damage and from rust. It also claimed that the wax could be removed by wiping it away under running hot water. This was a bit of an understatement, as it actually took a fair bit of scrubbing and a whole lot of hot water.
The light coming into the kitchen that Sunday morning created such a sense of serenity. It was a bitter, cold day outside, but with the sun streaming all the more intensely into the house, reflecting off the steely, frosty landscape. And all of us cozy inside.
I use the Parisian Crêpes recipe from King Arthur Baking for a thick, eggy batter. The fillings I planned included two fruit sauces: Easy Homemade Blueberry Sauce, and 10-Minute Warm Spiced Apple Topping. Additionally, I put out Vermont maple syrup, honey, freshly whipped cream, chocolate chips, and a big bowl of cooked bacon.
I offered to scramble some eggs, but the family was in favor of keeping things sweet (and bacony.) The toppings were spooned into bowls and laid out first, and I began work on the crêpes.
I lost only one. One flop of a crêpe and then I had the hang of it. The crêpes set up perfectly from that flop on. In mere minutes each crêpe was lightly browned on both sides, so thin yet strong enough to peel out of the pan and flip onto the plate.
Once the aroma began to waft into the next room folks grew impatient. I was forced to stop halfway through my double batch of batter and let them dig in.
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It was a flurry of experimentation and sweet combinations. My son zeroed in on the chocolate chips and whipped cream. My daughter spread the saucy apples over her crêpe, and added a drizzle of honey.
My first crêpe held a puddle of maple syrup, a few slices of bacon, and a dollop of syrupy blueberries. The bacon gave the crêpe some texture and salty smokiness under all the sweetness. My husband went for the apples, smothering them with maple and whipped cream.
I had to admire the direct approach of my daughter's boyfriend. He piled bacon onto a plain crêpe, folded it up, and dove in. Nothing but bacon. And then he made a second, just like the first. No need to gild the lily, I suppose.
I was already on the verge of sleepy stuffed-ness, but my daughter was eager to have me try her creation: fresh whipped cream over a pool of maple syrup, tucked into the gently folded crêpe. The taste was like that of maple candy. Or perhaps closer to maple cotton candy, a sugary cloud. It was very, very good. And after that one, I could eat no more.
With everyone stuffed and various surfaces, fingers, and shirtsleeves sticky with honey and maple syrup, I left them catatonic on the couches to return to the kitchen and cook up the remaining crêpes.
Once finished and cooled they were layered in a dish between pieces of wax paper. Wrapped tightly, they now wait in the freezer for the next great meal. Savory fillings will be the next frontier.
While pancakes make for a splendid weekend breakfast (we are particularly fond of Buttermilk Banana Pancakes) consider giving crêpes a try instead. No special equipment is required (a large skillet works just fine) and for no more effort than pancakes, you'll have a special, elegant breakfast for yourself and your hungry fans.
Click below to see the recipes for my two fruit sauces:
Find the recipe for King Arthur Baking's Parisian Crêpes here:
The Armchair Squid says
What a fabulous Sunday project! We're fans of Skinny Pancake, too. Haven't been in a while, though.