Michael Ruhlman

Crêpes

Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Makes

    8

    ( 8 inch 20 centimeter ) crêpes

Appears in

From Scratch: 10 Meals, 175 Recipes, and Dozens of Techniques You Will Use Over and Over

From Scratch

By Michael Ruhlman

Published 2019

Crêpes are so easy to make that there’s no reason you shouldn’t have them in your cooking arsenal, and the ratio is simple: equal parts by volume eggs, milk, and flour. For a small batch for two people on a Sunday morning, that would be a scant ½ cup/60 grams flour, ½ cup/120 milliliters milk, ½ cup/120 milliliters beaten eggs (2 large eggs), a pinch of sugar, and a dash of vanilla. They make a lovely quick breakfast. They can be filled with anything savory—indeed, they’re the perfect solution to making an elegant meal out of leftovers (chicken and gravy, for instance). That’s how Thomas Keller used leftover lobster knuckle meat at the French Laundry; knuckle meat was too inelegant to serve on its own, but wrapped like a pillow in a chive crêpe, it was gorgeous. And crêpes can make any number of desserts. Reheat in butter with some sugar and Grand Marnier for a classic crêpe suzette, or use any other sweet filling. Layer them with pastry cream or jam to make a crêpe cake.

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Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs (1 cup/240 milliliters)
  • 1 cup/240 milliliters milk
  • 1 scant cup/120 grams all-purpose flour
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar (optional; don’t use if making a savory dish)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional; don’t use if making a savory dish)
  • Unsalted butter, for cooking

Method

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk till they are uniformly blended. Add the flour and salt (and sugar and vanilla if making a sweet dish) and gently whisk to incorporate. It’s best to let the mixture rest for 20 to 30 minutes but not strictly required. Make sure there are no lumps.

In a small nonstick pan, melt 1 teaspoon butter over low heat. Pour in just enough batter, tilting the pan around, until you have a thin layer coating the bottom of the pan. Let it cook just until the top has solidified. Slip it out of the pan onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and more butter as needed, stacking the crêpes as you go and leaving some overlap of the edges so they’re easy to separate.

Crêpes can be made up to 8 hours in advance; cover the plate until ready to serve.

© 2019 All rights reserved. Published by Abrams Books.