Crepes--Cook-Off 23

[Grub]

...

This is kind of a lame repost from a meal a couple weeks ago...

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Heh, I can do that too...

Crêpes de Volaille Versaillaise:

Chicken, asparagus and mushroom, and a Bechamel sauce.

Seafood Crêpes:

Shrimp and crabmeat, onions, celery, scallions and a Bechamel sauce with cayenne pepper and lemon juice.

I think I want to make that last one again, soon...

[slkinsey]

So, my issues are: mine aren't nearly as evenly browned as Sam's are.  That's probably the fault of my ceramic cooktop.  Nothing I can do about that.  Or maybe the patina will even out with more use?

That will come with more experience and tweaking on your part. I doubt it's a fault of the ceramic cooktop, because the crêpe pan should be perfectly flat and therefore have uniformly good contact with the cooktop.

More likely what it has to do with is just not spreading the batter around quickly enough. My technique is to pour all the batter into the center of pan all in one go while holding the handle with the other hand, then lift the pan off the burner immediately and tip the pan to swirl the batter evenly around the pan. Usually, by the time I finish swirling, the crêpe batter is almost completely set and it's just a matter of waiting a few moments for the crêpe to start looking "done" on the top before flipping it over.

And I only got 7 usable crepes out of the one recipe, nevermind the two that were hopeless.  Probably I should have thinned the batter.  And I keep seeing recipes that call for 2-3 T of batter per crepe, but I had to have 1/3 C, or 5 T, to fill my pan completely.  They aren't thick, per se, but probably should be a lot thinner, based on how many Sam has in his stack.

Keep in mind that my stack was the result of a quatruple batch at least! I also use 1/3 C in my pan. But you have to understand that we have large crêpe pans. There's no way you could fill that pan with 2-3 T of crêpe batter.

Channeling Sam.

These look pretty good to me. I think anyone would be happy to have crêpes like that -- especially on your first real use of the pan. You're definitely getting the hang of it. As I'm sure you can see, once you get going it's easy to just bang them out.

I'm not sure if this is helpful at all in this context of the home kitchen, but I thought a technique I've witnessed could be inspiring.  I just got back from a crêpe pilgrimage to Toronto I make from time to time. The place that keeps drawing me back is called Le Papillon, and they make their crêpes on a big flat-top grill.  They're never flipped, stacked or moved: the batter is poured onto the flat-top, troweled-out to a paper-thin film, then as it starts to set-up, the fillings are put on top, while it's still on the grill, then it's folded-up, put on a plate, and served immediately.

I think you nailed this one in suggesting that it might not be that helpful in the context of a home kitchen. Unless you are either making crêpes for one or have a big stove and multiple crêpe pans. Any advantage that would be gained from this (excellent) technique would be lost by holding the crêpes in a warming oven while the others are finished one at a time.

[Abra]

Thanks for the continuing advice, Sam. I'm so relieved to know that was a quadruple batch. I was making them exactly as you describe, except that I held the pan at a slight tilt and poured onto the upper edge, swirling downward. I've been having wrist tendonitis problems, and that seems like an easier motion that swirling from the center out. Next time I'll try it your way, though, because I want to get it right.

I continue to try to understand the color issue. Bryan's are pale, delicate, and unspeckled, the second set of Grub's are uniformly browned and crisp-looking. Sam's are uniformly speckled/brindled, and mine are on that path, but not there yet. Is this caused by a difference in pans, or is it technique? Bryan and Grub, will you show us your pans?

I was dining alone last night, so I put my first batch into the fridge. Tonight I'll fill them with something nice.

[jenc]

I think the difference is heat/cook time vs the thickness of your crèpe. I generally go for that even speckle.

I think I'll make some crepes tonight for desert!

Though I'm really fantasizing about some spinach, gruyère and onion ones. with pancetta? hmn. something meaty.

[MelissaH]

I've noticed that most of the batter recipes people are using seem to be made in a blender. My blender is currently buried somewhere while we redo our kitchen, and it probably won't be unearthed for a few weeks yet.

Any suggestions for mixing crêpe batter without a blender? Or should I either beg a blender from a friend with a kitchen, or just wait until I have my own kitchen again?

MelissaH

[jenc]

I usually am too lazy to pull out a blender and/or clean it. I go whisk all the way, but I don't have a set recipe. I tend to either search online when I need one, (haven't found a true keeper yet), or just fudge it.

[Pam R]

Any suggestions for mixing crêpe batter without a blender? Or should I either beg a blender from a friend with a kitchen, or just wait until I have my own kitchen again?

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A whisk with a little elbow grease. I add the liquid slowly, making sure I get rid of all the lumps - then let rest.

[Eilen]

Does anyone use the T-shaped wooden utensil for spreading the batter? I noticed most creperies I went to in France used this little tool which seemed a brilliant idea. Spreading the batter evenly is what I struggle with and I'd be interested to hear how people deal with this problem--aside from loads of practice, any tricks?

[slkinsey]

I continue to try to understand the color issue.  Bryan's are pale, delicate, and unspeckled, the second set of Grub's are uniformly browned and crisp-looking.  Sam's are uniformly speckled/brindled, and mine are on that path, but not there yet.  Is this caused by a difference in pans, or is it technique?

It's a difference in pans, recipes, techniques and goals. For something like the Keller dish BryanZ posted, my usual crêpes would never work. You need something lighter and more delicate. My crêpe recipe is fairly robust. It is also the case that a nonstick pan can create crêpes that are both thinner, more evenly colored and overall less colored than a those from a traditional crêpe pan.<br>

Here are some examples of different crêpe batters.<br><br>

<table>

<tr>

<th>SLK's Standard</th>

<th>Delicate Dessert</th>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>1C AP flour</td>

<td>1C AP flour</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>1 1/3 C milk/water</td>

<td>2 C milk</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>3 eggs</td>

<td>4 eggs</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>3 T melted butter</td>

<td>4 T melted butter</td>

<tr>

<td>(no sugar)</td>

<td>4 T sugar</td>

</table>

<br>As you can see the second recipe, which makes a thinner and more delicate dessert crêpe, has more egg, more liquid and more fat. There are many variations. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that those really light, thin crêpes of Keller's have even more egg and liquid (and also that they are cooked at a lower temperature on nonstick).

[MelissaH]

I usually am too lazy to pull out a blender and/or clean it. I go whisk all the way, but I don't have a set recipe. I tend to either search online when I need one, (haven't found a true keeper yet), or just fudge it.

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A whisk with a little elbow grease.  I add the liquid slowly, making sure I get rid of all the lumps - then let rest.

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A whisk I do have. I may give it a shot at batter this weekend...if I don't get dragged into doing other things instead.

MelissaH

[slkinsey]

I think I'm going to make one of these.

[jenc]

hmn... maybe I will try that SLK one with a pinch of salt ... I really want some cheesy spinachy goodness... If I get out of work on time

[Megan Blocker]

I think I'm going to make one of these.

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They are SO GOOD, Sam. So good.

[jenc]

T_T I want to make one of those too now.

So I can eat it.

Hmn. Maybe another use for that Mascarpone frosting/filling I love. Time to experiment with a little citrus and berries I think!

[Abra]

I've been longing to make that mille crepe since Megan first posted it. In fact, that's a major motivation for getting my pan in shape and mastering the damn things once and for all.

I have some home-cured bacon and some farm eggs that are calling to me at the moment, so I think some sort of breakfast crepe is on the menu for today's lunch. I want to use these up, so I can make a nicer batch.

[ruthcooks]

I learned to make crepes by pouring too much batter into the pan, giving it a quick swirl and pouring out the excess. Coats the pan evenly and thinly as the crepe batter thickness will allow. I use a non-stick skillet, and no utensil for turning: the batter that gets cooked onto the side of the pan (where you pour out the excess batter) makes a little "handle" which I just grab hold of and flip the crepe with my fingers.

[Chufi]

here's the Dutch spekpannenkoek. The bacon is fried first, then the batter is poured on top of the bacon. Serve with golden syrup.

I don't think these actually qualify as crepes, because they are thicker. But I had to show them off anyway!

[slkinsey]

BACON CRÊPES?!?!

Must. Have. Bacon. Crêpes.

And I can make them sound exotic, possibly even healthy if I call them spekpannenkoek.

[Chufi]

BACON CRÊPES?!?!

Must. Have. Bacon. Crêpes.

And I can make them sound exotic, possibly even healthy if I call them spekpannenkoek.

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The recipe, and more pictures, is here in the Dutch Cooking thread. I am craving some right now as well... and I just had dinner!

Edited June 16, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Abra]

Well, this is kind of bacon crepe, except that I fried up the lardons first, and then some spring onions, red peppers, and little tomatoes, the latter all cooked in the bacon fat, of course. Then I made a little milk gravy with the tiny bit of bacon fat and vegetable juices remaining in the pan. By then there was no more bacon fat, so the eggs had to be scrambled in butter. It was a fridge-cleaning lunch, but not an artery-cleaning one.

Probably I should have added more bacon.

[Shaya]

Klary your spekpannenkoek look amazing. So simple yet so tasty.

Abra, what a gorgeous picture of a beautiful lunch.

Edited June 16, 2006 by Shaya (log)

[BryanZ]

What's the best/standard filling for the mille crepe?

[ludja]

What's the best/standard filling for the mille crepe?

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There's a great thread of discussion on the mille crepes, including fillings, in the post slkinsey linked to above in post #36.

One of the classic fillings is pastry cream which can be flavored any number of ways and into which whipped cream is folded. I want to try a kirsch-flavored one sometime...

Edited June 17, 2006 by ludja (log)

[alanamoana]

the recipe that's in the cake bible contains corn starch instead of flour and is very liquidy. this doesn't necessarily mean that it is as ethereal as she claims, but i find it a very serviceable crepe for sweet items.

[Grub]

....

I continue to try to understand the color issue.  Bryan's are pale, delicate, and unspeckled, the second set of Grub's are uniformly browned and crisp-looking.  Sam's are uniformly speckled/brindled, and mine are on that path, but not there yet.  Is this caused by a difference in pans, or is it technique?  Bryan and Grub, will you show us your pans?

...

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I doubt I could help anyone with their technique, but for what it's worth, the pan I used was a strictly no-frills, cheapo, non-stick aluminum pan:

It's old, and a little bent, but seemed to do the job fairly well. I'm sure a specialized crêpe pan would be a little easier, but only due to the lower edges giving your spatula easier access.