Saturday Morning Crepes

Snow Day!

There are few things more seasonally exciting than waking up to a foot of snow, flakes still falling. The same old view from the bedroom window overlooking the neighbors' backyard suddenly becomes clean, new... maybe even special. This morning promised a muted, cozy day with little on the agenda. A special snow day so close to Christmas calls for a special breakfast, so i tried Crepes. My go-to recipe source (besides my mother) is the classic, Joy of Cooking. It provided several variations to choose from, but as a rookie, I went for the first one listed in the index: Basic Sweet Crepes. They were simple and gratifying to make, just more time consuming than your average American pancake.

I had intended a nice, sit-down breakfast with coffee by the fire, but only able to do prepare one crepe at a time, we didn't have the patience to wait for all of them to be done (by which time they would most likely be cold). So instead we stood in the kitchen and split each crepe in half, hot off the griddle. At least there were less dishes to wash...

Basic Sweet Crepes

From The Joy of Cooking
makes about 7 1/2" crepes

Combine in a blender of food processor until smooth: (i just whisked in a bowl)
-1/2 cup all-purpose flour -1/2 cup milk -1/4 cup luke warm water -2 large eggs -2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted -1 1/2 Tbs sugar -Pinch of salt

Pour the batter into a pitcher or other container with a pouring lip. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes or refrigerate for up to 2 days. (This allows the four to fully absorb the liquid and fives the gluten in the flour a chance to relax.)

Place a nonstick or seasoned crepe pan over medium heat. Coat the pan with a little butter. Stir the batter and pour about 2 Tbs into the pan, lifting the pan off the heat and tilting and rotating it so that the batter forms an even, very thin layer. Cook until the top is set and underside is golden. Turn the crepe over, using a spatula or preferably your fingers. Cook until the second side is lightly browned. Remove the crepe to a piece of wax paper. Continue cooking the rest of the crepes, buttering the pan and stirring the batter before starting each one. Stack the finished crepes between sheets of wax paper. Use immediately or let cool, wrap airtight, and freeze for up to 1 month.

(On each one i sifted powdered sugar and unsweetened cocoa through a fine mesh strainer.)