Geraldene Holt

Crêpes Frisées de Tante Jeanette

Aunt Jeanette’s Curly Pancakes

Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Medium

  • Makes about

    12

    pancakes.

Appears in

French Country Kitchen

French Country Kitchen

By Geraldene Holt

Published 1987

I’ve always adored pancakes and crêpes, making them and eating them. But I’ve never thought of doing this: making crêpes with holes in them. I came across the recipe in La Bonne Cuisine du Périgord by La Mazille; it makes a crêpe with a crisp lattice that only needs a dusting of vanilla sugar. The method gives plenty of scope for artistry since I’ve found it possible to make faces, dinosaurs or mysterious creatures from outer space in the same way, so naturally these crêpes are highly popular with children, who also enjoy trailing the batter into the pan themselves.

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 75 ml(3 fl oz) milk
  • 85 g(3 oz) flour
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons eau-de-vie
  • a little sunflower oil
  • vanilla sugar for sprinkling
  • wedges of lemon

Method

Beat the eggs with the milk and gradually whisk in the flour, sugar and salt. If you have time, set aside for up to an hour to thicken. With admirable prudence French cooks insist on this, because that way you’ll get more crêpes from the mixture.

When ready to cook the mixture, stir in the eau-de-vie. Heat a dribble of oil in a crêpe pan and tilt to coat the base.

Take a tablespoon of the mixture and trickle it into the pan, moving it around as you do so to make a pattern. Add a little extra to make cross lines. The idea is to leave holes in the crêpe and form unusual patterns with the mixture.

As soon as the mixture is set and the underside is golden, flip or turn the pancake over and cook until golden-brown.

Serve straight away with a sprinkling of sugar and a splash of lemon juice.

© 1987 Geraldene Holt. All rights reserved.