Every year, Lucia requests crêpes for her special birthday breakfast in bed. She has an unwavering and contagious love for them, one that has infected us all. I (Amelia) have many memories of a tiny, messy-haired Lucia, waking up in her pink bed to a plate full of crêpes (or Swedish Pancakes). While we may not eat breakfast in bed on birthdays anymore (crumb control), crêpes remain a staple of Lucia’s birthday.
These crêpes are glossy and perfectly delicate, without being so fragile that they rip apart by being lifted up. They’re creamy and just a little chewy, ideal for sprinkling with sugar and wrapping up. It’s not just sugar we sprinkle on top, however. Whenever we break out the crêpes, I break out the toppings. Berries, yogurt, jam, almond butter (Lucia is allergic to peanuts), bananas, nutella - something to please every family member.
Before I let you go, I have a quick question. I think Lucia underfills her crêpes, and she thinks I overfill mine. I know for a fact that she’s right (I like lots of filling), but I also stand by my statement that she underfills hers. What do you think is the appropriate amount of filling/topping for a crêpe? And what are the best fillings (nut butter and jam, anyone?)?
Crêpes
5 tablespoons butter, melted (melt it in the crepe pan)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 cup milk
5 eggs
Melt butter in crêpe pan over medium heat. This both melts the butter for the batter and primes the pan for cooking the crêpes.
Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Combine water and milk in a Pyrex quart-size liquid measuring cup, then pour a few tablespoons at a time into the flour mixture, whisking in between, adding more liquid each time the mixture becomes too thick to stir. Taking a little time with this process will prevent future lumps from developing in the batter. Once the mixture is smooth, you can add the remaining liquid all at once, along with the butter and eggs. Give it a final whisk, then let rest for 20 minutes or, covered in the refrigerator, up to overnight.
Preheat a nonstick pan over medium high heat until drops of water sizzle upon contact with the pan’s surface. Ladle 1/2 cup batter into the center of the hot pan, and immediately swirl the pan to distribute the batter into a thin circle. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds and, when the edges look dry and the center has the structural integrity to survive a flip, turn it over to cook for an additional 30 seconds on the second side. Release the crêpe onto a plate and cook another, followed by another, until the batter is gone. So long as they aren’t underdone (they should have a little color on each side of the crêpe), you can stack the hot crêpes directly on top of one another.
Serve simply, sprinkled with a little sugar and rolled up; spread with soft cream cheese, sliced strawberries, and sprinkled with sugar; dolloped with yogurt and roasted strawberries; spread with jam or Nutella and folded into quarters, then sprinkled with powdered sugar; or however else you like.
