Things to do with Crepes

When I thought of crepes as a kid, well, I didn't. I came from the generation of pancakes, eggs, bacon... you get the idea. But when I grew up I discovered how great crepes could be at the International House of Pancakes, aka, I-Hop. 

I-Hop is an American institution. Though I have to admit, it's slipped over the years. But I can remember the places serving some of the best food ever and one of the things I loved was the breakfast crepes made with ricotta and mascarpone cheese and a sweet topping of strawberry puree. 

Crepes aren't difficult to make with the right tools. The main one is the crepe pan. Now admittedly you could spend a pretty penny on one. Some are as high as $200. But I wouldn't pay that much unless you're going to use it every day and most of us won't. So order one online that suits your pocketbook but still has good quality. $20-40 dollars should do.

A crepe batter is one of the easiest to make and yes, make it in your blender!

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

1. Butter, for coating the pan
2. Place the ingredients into your blender and pulse for 10 seconds. 
3. Remove and chill in the fridge for 1 hour and up to overnight, covered. This is IMPORTANT!
4. Take your stick of butter and coat the pan. You can melt it first and use that for your pan but make sure to spread it around in a very thin sheet.
5. Make your first pour your "test" (I use a small cookie scoop for this)
6. Heat your butter on low heat (medium-low is best)  and pour and spread your egg. You can use a spreader or like I do, roll the pan to spread the egg around. Use 1/4 cup of batter.
7. Cook for 30 seconds before flipping and cook on the other side for 10 seconds more.
8. Lay them out flat to cool before stacking them with waxed paper between them.
9. This particular recipe makes 12-18 crepes.

If you're using the crepes for dessert, try adding a little white sugar (about 1 tsp) to the batter.

But you can also do this as a savory dish as well! 

The image is a breakfast dessert crepe and uses fresh 

blackberries mixed with mascarpone cheese and a little stevia to sweeten up!

Mexican Filling: ground beef (cooked and drained), finely diced shallots, finely sliced green peppers, cheese, and Mexican spices. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

The All American Crepe: ground beef, cooked and drained. American cheese, 1 long sliced pickle, cooked diced onion, ketchup, etc.

Pizza Crepes: Tomato sauce (to put on top), mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, olives, and cooked green peppers.

Chinese Crepes: sauteed beef or shredded chicken with Chinese canned veggies and seasoning. You could even put cooked rice inside!

BBQ Crepes: shredded pork or chicken or even brisket, cooked with pickle and onion and BBQ sauce on top.

Cheese and Onion Crepes: shredded cheddar cheese with cream cheese and dried onion, mashed together, and warmed up inside the crepe.

Crepes wrapped around sweetened ricotta with berry sauce on top make a great, cool, summertime brunch item.