Crepe

This food item needs little introduction. Crepe is simply the thin cousin of pancake but for some reason not as popular as pancakes, does this has anything to do with crepe being originated from France?

Here is the basic recipe for crepe that yields 4 servings. I feel that each person can eat at least 3 servings, so it is quite necessary to adjust your serving portion accordingly.

1 cup of all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of water
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoon of butter, melted


note: As you can see, the first thing that needs to be done ahead of time is to melt the butter. Now it is tempting to use a microwave to melt the butter, but i personally feel that is it not ideal for two reasons - a) butter melts unevenly in the microwave, b) you might overheat the butter if you are not careful

My preferred way of melting butter is to use a water bath method. Simple fill a large bowl with warm water and place another smaller bowl inside this warm water-filled bowl. Melt the butter in this smaller bowl. Stir the butter a few times, it will melt in about 10 minutes.

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg and flour together.
2. Gradually add the milk and water
3. Finally add the salt and butter
4. Whisk everything until the batter becomes silky.
(at this point, some recipe request that you rest the batter in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the batter to even out. I tried both wait and non-waiting and I think it is unnecessary to wait 30 minutes.
5. Heat a tiny bit oil/butter in a flat non-stick pan and pour a small ladle of batter into the pan. Swirl the pan around until you achieve a thin layer of batter.
6. Cook the crepe until it is slightly brown, about 1 minute (you can lift the crepe to take a peek underneath). Turn the crepe and cook the other side.
(i also noticed that it is unnecessary to oil the pan for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th crepe because the butter in the batter oils the pan)
7. Roll/fold/or leave the crepe "open" and serve

Now, a crepe is like a blank canvas, you can "paint" it anyway you want. It is quite common to put nutella or jam on crepe. You can also eat it with fresh fruits, maple syrup (why not), chocolate syrup (delicious) or ice cream.

melting butter in a water bath

melted butter - golden delicious..wait, isn't that the name of an apple?

eggs and flour. one of the eggs have two yolks!!

Thin layer of batter

a roll of crepe

I like the slightly browned crepe

Thanks SL for the wonderful decoration and picture

Looks delicious, doesn't it?