193 replies to this topic

[Abra]

I'm bumping this up because, now that I'm living in France, it's come to my attention that Saturday Feb. 1 is La Fête de la Chandeleur, a day when everyone in France is supposed to eat lots of crepes! And since I didn't bring my crepe pan with me, I'll have to get accustomed to the nonstick one here in the house.

I'm having a birthday guest, and want to make about 5 different kinds. So if you have some favorites that haven't been mentioned here, pipe up! And in any case, Saturday's the day when you have total permission to make those crepes you've been thinking about trying.

[Chris Amirault]

Abra, what sort of options do you want your guest to have?

I think Sat is February 2, btw!

[miladyinsanity]

Tuesday is Pancake Tuesday. I have plans involving cheese and broccoli and chocolate--but not together.

[Abra]

In the end I used the buckwheat galette recipe from Anna Thomas that Chufi linked to above, and slkinsey's recipe for the sweet crepes, and did a whole bunch of fillings, the details and pictures of which are to be found right here.

Crepes are just about the best thing ever when it comes to versatility and making people happy for mere pennies, or centimes in my case.

[snowangel]

Anyone see any problems with making crepe batter on Thursday morning, but not making the crepes until Friday?

[Ce'nedra]

I'm so excited -I just bought a crepe pan (my first!) two days ago so expect to see me posting some time! :)

Any particular favourite savoury crepe recipes?

[Mistinguett]

Anyone see any problems with making crepe batter on Thursday morning, but not making the crepes until Friday?

It should be totally fine. I've kept batter for a couple of days in the fridge.

[pat_00]

I'm so excited -I just bought a crepe pan (my first!) two days ago so expect to see me posting some time! :)

Any particular favourite savoury crepe recipes?

Rattatouille and goats cheese is my fave, with a glass of breton apple cider.

Smoked salmon is good too.

[Ce'nedra]

I'm so excited -I just bought a crepe pan (my first!) two days ago so expect to see me posting some time! :)

Any particular favourite savoury crepe recipes?

Rattatouille and goats cheese is my fave, with a glass of breton apple cider.

Smoked salmon is good too.

Thanks for the suggestion :)

About the smoked salmon, what would you have it with? I was doing some 'research' and plenty of people served it along with caramelised onions, spinach, cream cheese, etc.
Also, do I just fold it inside the crepe? Not sure whether I should add it during the cooking process or after...

[FrogPrincesse]

Yesterday was La Chandeleur so I made crêpes. For savory crêpes, I use a batter that is half buckwheat half wheat. For sweet crêpes, I use a much lighter batter that is 100% wheat. I like to add a touch of orange blossom water to the sweet batter. Other than this minor modification, I use the recipes from The Country Cooking of France by Anne Willan (which are very traditional - see the end of this post for a link).

The batters.
The buckwheat batter (on the left) rests before it is further diluted.



Breton buckwheat galettes (Galettes bretonnes au sarrasin)
For the filling, we went traditional with a backyard egg from our friends, ham, and cheese.



Crêpe with chocolate ganache.

I also had one with plain crystallized sugar, which is actually my favorite. There is something about the light crunch of sugar that is irresistible.


Galette recipe

Crêpe recipe

[LindaK]

FrogPrincesse, those look lovely. Are you happy with your buckwheat crepe recipe? I've tried several and while they're okay, they're always heavier and not as as tasty as those I get in France. So I'm still searching for my perfect galette recipe.

[FrogPrincesse]

FrogPrincesse, those look lovely. Are you happy with your buckwheat crepe recipe? I've tried several and while they're okay, they're always heavier and not as as tasty as those I get in France. So I'm still searching for my perfect galette recipe.

Thanks Linda!
I am happy with the recipe. They come out a little thicker than the sweet crêpes (which is normal), but still quite thin. They have a great nutty flavor from the buckwheat.

Let me know if you are having a problem seeing the online recipe; I can send it to you.

I am sure that there are already some good tips on this thread. For me the key is to use a hot pan (I just use a large T-fal skillet); once you ladle the batter in the middle of the pan, you need to immediately tip the pan in all directions to spread the batter and form the crêpe, which should happen almost instantly (if not, the pan is not hot enough). That way the crêpes are never too thick. That's how my mom taught me to make them and it works great.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

...For me the key is to use a hot pan (I just use a large T-fal skillet); once you ladle the batter in the middle of the pan, you need to immediately tip the pan in all directions to spread the batter and form the crêpe, which should happen almost instantly (if not, the pan is not hot enough)....

Exactly. THEN, immediately tip any excess batter OUT of the pan (into a waste bowl). Ever notice in France how there is often a kind of ear on the crepe? That's from the pour off.

[FrogPrincesse]

I made more crêpes last week for a mardi-gras party at my daughter's school. And I will be making more again tonight...

This was a triple batch (9 eggs!). Using a couple of large non stick pans, my yield was 24 crêpes. The kids all wanted nutella.