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Crêpes
Making crêpes takes some practice, but it's fun and easier than it looks. If some do not flip successfully, you can snack on them while making the rest of the stack.
Note:To make buckwheat crêpes, use 1/4 cup less all-purpose flour, and add 1/4 cup buckwheat flour.
Serves 4
Ingredients Directions
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 cup cold milk
1 cup cold water
4 Tbsp oil
In a large bowl, mix flour and salt.
Using a whisk beat in eggs and milk into flour. Beat until no lumps remain.
Beat in the water. The mixture should be the consistency of light cream. If too thick, beat in another 1-2 Tbsp of water.
Beat in the oil, cover, and refrigerate at least for 2 hours or overnight.

To make crêpes, you'll need a shallow well seasoned or non-stick skillet 6-10" in diameter with flared sides. Take the batter out of the fridge and whisk to even out consistency. Heat your skillet on med-high heat. If the skillet is not heated through the crêpes will stick. Brush the skillet with melted butter using a folded paper towel or a pastry brush.

Pour:
When the oil heats through (you'll see a little smoke), fill the ladle with batter, pour some into the pan and swivel quickly in a smooth round motion. Pour more as needed to fill in the holes. This is a trial crêpe to give you an idea of how much batter you need for your pan.

Flip:
About a minute after you pour in your batter, the bottom will be brown and it's time to flip the crêpe. There are two ways to do that.

Method 1 - Tossing: If your pan is small and light, the best way is just to toss your crêpe in the air and catch it with your pan. This is really much easier than it looks. Just put a potholder on the counter and bang you pan on it to dislodge the crêpe. Once it moves easily in the pan, quickly move your pan in a circular motion starting down and away from you. The crêpe will jump and flip. It sounds scary, but after a couple of crêpes, you'll be an expert.

Method 2 - Using a butter knife: This method works for any size or type of a pan. Use a knife with a rounded tip (not a cooking knife). Gently move the knife around the perimeter of the crêpe to unstick the edges. Then move you knife deeper in couple of spots to dislodge your crêpe. Once it moves easily in the pan, stick the knife under the crêpe along the full diameter, and flip the crêpe onto the other side.

Remove to a plate and keep warm:
After 30 seconds on the other side, your crêpe is done. Slide it out of the pan and onto a plate. Keep the crêpes warm in 200F oven while making the rest of them (unless you are planning to stuff them).

Serve:
Present the whole stack to the table and let everyone dip them in melted butter, or fill them with preserves. You can also fill the crêpes with savory fillings like salmon and refry them in butter until crispy (in that case, you don't have to keep your crêpes in the oven while making more crêpes. They'll rewarm in a skillet after being filled.



Copyright 2002, Yelena Malyutin Rennie. All rights reserved.