Southern Gal vs. Crepes

You ever get that itch that you just can’t scratch? That urge to do something that you can’t stop focusing on? The bug up your….well, you get the point by now. I had this crazy urge to attempt to make Crepes for my first time. With a little help from step-by-step instructions provided by my trusty friends at Williams-Sonoma, I stumbled through it rather well I must say.

I knew I had Nutella in the pantry, I had just bought some Strawberries, and I had some Powdered Sugar. Hello people! We were in business at that point! Three of the most important food groups right before your eyes. Yum!

It all began with a morning email from Williams-Sonoma. Now mind you, I get up around 5:30 to 6:00 a.m. every morning. So, when I say this was a morning email, I mean it. Reading it with sleepy dust in my eyes, mid-stretch, feet haven’t even hit the carpet yet kind of morning email. Maybe this is why I set my mind to doing Crepes, because it was too early to make a sound decision. *smiles*

Honestly though, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. The special feeling that goes through your body and mind as you pour the batter in just the right way, you rotate your pan in the right direction, you stand diligently over the pan waiting on that first one to flip (wondering what in the world am I doing!)…you really feel like you are stepping out on a limb and branching out, so to speak, in your own little culinary world. Next, I will be attempting to make Savory Crepes instead of the Sweet Crepes I made this time.

This could get very interesting!

Below you will find the link to Williams-Sonoma’s recipe on their own blog, The Blender, with instructional pictures. I’m not going to include their pictures, as they are theirs, but I will encourage you to go to their site and look at them for a guide. I wasn’t brave enough to show you the debacle of myself attempting to make them. They may have turned out well, but it was funny. *big smiles*

Please get adventurous! Put whatever fillings you want to in yours. It’s your kitchen! They suggest leaving out the sugar if you decide to fill them with savory items.

Below is their recipe…

Williams-Sonoma Sweet Crepes (my comments are in parenthesis)

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• Melted unsalted butter for greasing pan (this is really important, folks!)

Directions:

Prepare crepes according to the directions below. Serves 4.

Add ingredients to the blender

To make the crepe batter, in a blender, combine water, milk, flour, sugar and vanilla. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Check for shells and then add the eggs to the blender.

Blend until smooth

Blend the mixture until very smooth and free of lumps. Pour the batter into a large liquid measuring cup or a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day. (Mine was in the fridge for 3 hours.)

Grease the pan

Using a pastry brush dipped in melted butter, lightly grease the entire surface of a 9-inch crepe pan or nonstick fry pan and place over medium heat. (I did it the only way I could. I opened a stick of butter, wrapped the wrapper around one end, held the butter on the wrapped end, and smeared the butter in the pan after each one. You know you do this too. *wink wink*)

Swirl the batter in the pan

Fill a 1/4-cup ladle with batter to just below the lip. Holding the pan at an angle above the burner, pour the batter into the pan close to one edge. Quickly whirl the pan so the batter covers the entire bottom of the pan. This should happen very fast since the batter will start to cook upon contact with the hot pan. (This was much easier than they make it look on Hell’s Kitchen.)

Cook the crepe

Cook, shaking the pan from time to time, until the crepe begins to bubble, the bottom is lightly browned and the batter looks set, about 1 minute.

Flip the crepe

Use a small offset spatula to lift the edge of the crepe, then carefully grasp the edge and quickly flip the crepe over in the pan. Cook until the second side is slightly browned and set, about 10 seconds more.

Stack the crepes.

Transfer the finished crepe to a plate. Repeat to cook the remaining batter, greasing the pan with more butter each time. Stack the cooked crepes on the plate between squares of wax paper. (I personally didn’t have time to stack mine. My parents were over, and as soon as I got one out of the pan, I was slathering Nutella on it and placing slices of fresh Strawberries on it, sprinkling it with Powdered Sugar and wrapping it up to serve. They were so good!)

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