Good recipe for Crepe batter

[Home chef]

I really don't know where to put this thread so I will start here. Mods please move if appropriate.

Lately I have been experimenting with crepe batter. I haven't found any that I really like. I know it's a simple batter but they always seem to turn out kinda bland. I've used melted butter in one batter, veggie oil in another, whole milk, half & half, beating eggs before encorporation, etc. I do let the batter rest for a couple hours in the fridge but nothing really helps the crepe. Any ideas? Any recipes yhat can be shared??? PLEASE

 

[Constance]

Crepes are bland. They are just a wrapper, like a tortilla. It's what you put in and on top of them that makes the difference.

 

[Home chef]

Constance,

Yea, I understand that totally. I guess I'm just basing my opinion on the difference of taste between my plain crepes and those that I had in Paris. The ones in Paris had so much more "something" to them. I just don't knwo what it is. Tonight I made crepes with nutell a and banana. They tasted great but not like Paris. Maybe a pinc more sugar in the batter could do it.

 

[Piccolina]

I like to use 1/2 butter and 1/2 olive oil in my crepe batters, just something I winged one day and it worked great. Depending on what you are serving the crepes with (sweet vs savoury) you can add things like cinnamon, vanilla, almond extract, black pepper, cumin, sage, etc (lol, not all together!). You want to try and keep the batter as light as possible, otherwise the you run the risk of ending up with more of a pancake than a crepe

(If you're filling them with Asian inspired ingredients, a little soy sauce and a drop of sesame oil in the batter is awesome.)

 

[Robo410]

other european countries have crepe type batters...try a swedish pancake...adding a little powdered sugar and spice (nutmeg or cinamon ) to the batter. obviously a desert crepe results, but I have used it also for a brocoli stuffed crepe with a nutmeg white sauce. very nice.

 

[Constance]

Constance,

Yea, I understand that totally. I guess I'm just basing my opinion on the difference of taste between my plain crepes and those that I had in Paris.

I've been to Paris, Illinois.
I'm sure a grilled cheese sandwich would taste better in France.

 

[Lisa110]

When I make crepe battter, I like to brown the butter indicated in the recipe before adding it to the batter. I just let it go until it's a light brown color (keep an eye on it..using medium heat). It gives the crepes a richer, almost nutty flavor.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

IMHO, Picolina nailed it. Crepe's don't have to be bland. Experiment a little. Here's one that I enjoy, but don't limit yourself. Flavorings are your freinds.

Ingredients.:
1 cup AP Flour
3 tbs. honey
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. double-acting Baking Powder
2 lage eggs (gives extra body to the crepe's)
1 cup milk
3 tbs. Sunflower Oil

Preheat crepe' pan. Lightly oil pan.
Mix dry ingredients together with a wire whisk. Beat together wet ingredients in a seperate bowl. Slowly add dry ingredients while whisking to create a smooth, lump-free batter.

Place three tbs. batter onto the crepe' pan center and swirl to form a thin crepe. Cook on one side only. The crepe should be thin enough to cook through without flipping.

Remove the crepe' and place fruit preserves as strip in the center, from end to end. Fold edge over the center and top with furit syrup and possible whipped cream.

You could change the batter flavors to cinamon and nutmeg, fill with cooked apple slices, or cherrys, and serve hot with a good vanilla ice cream.

The variations are endless.

As Picolina said, try other flavorings, such as garlic powder, sage, Itallian herbs, peppers, etc. Top with melted or shreded cheese. Fill with meats and veggies.

I think a crepe filled with seasoned chiken, flavored with sage, and topped with an alfredo sauce would be a good flavor combination.

Keep the batter simple, flour, eggs, baking powder, milk, oil. Get the texture down to a science. Then experiment with different flavors.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Home chef]

Right now I'm only experimenting with desert crepes. So far I've done the Banana & Nutella, butter & sugar, and fruits. I'm gonna stay this course until I get my own way of making crepes.

 

[auntdot]

Wow, thanks everyone.

I always just thought of crepes as well, the stuff I go into the kitchen and toss together without thinking much about.

Now I will have to take them more seriously.

What Paris crepes have that the rest of the world lacks, I have no idea. Never have been there.

But HC, to paraphrase Bogart, you'll always have Paris.

LOL and I hope you figure it out. Might just require a field trip, for purely research purposes. Just say the DC folk sent you.

 

[buckytom]

my mom always made awesome norwegian pancakes, aka sweet filled crepes.
her recipe was extremely simple (i'm not completely sure of all of the ingredients), just flour, water, a little whole milk, and a pinch of salt. they were always turned in a buttered pan.
my guess is the butter and milk used in france was of superior quality.
hc, my suggestions would be to try using a danish butter called lurpak, and also i would try organic milk.
as far as fillings go, i love sweet fillings like lingonberry jam, blackberry preserves, sugar and butter, vanilla whipped cream and bananas, strawberries and marshmallow, marshmallow, chocolate, and chopped hazelnuts.
some more savory fillings i like are: lump crab in garlic cream, shallot whipped cream cheese and smoked salmon, thin sliced beef tenderloin drenched in salted butter.

 

[Home chef]

For namesake, I use Oberweis dairy and organic eggs. Always cook with whole milk and salted butter unless otherwise specified.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about it tonight. Another DC member said the crepe was, in essence, a conveyance. Nothing more. I disagree. If that were the case we would be eating the carton the milk came in or the can the, well, whatever comes in a can LOL. A crepe should have a pleasing taste and texture. It should not only enhanse the taste of the dish but should also posses the qualities of a meal aptly named. For example Crepe suizette (sp) wouldn't be called so without the crepe. If someone were to inviet you over for a meal and tells you crepes are on the menu you don't shudder and say "I hope there is something tasty smothered all over those tasteless thin pancakes!" The crepe must have taste. The crepe must have flavor and aroma, pleasing to the nose.

OK, I'm off that tangent now. Sorry. Too much thinking today. After all, the Bears and Colts lost today so all I have left is food LOL.

Here is the rec for my latest crepe batter...

2C AP flour
4 eggs
2 1/2C whole milk
2T melted butter
1/2 t sugar


Combine flour and milk until smooth
Add eggs & butter. Mix well
Cover and let rest for 2 hours

What do you all think??

 

[buckytom]

i remember my mom always sweared that it needed a pinch of salt.

and i agree that crepes are more than flavorless vehicles. they should be the base flavor to offset the fillings, as well as texture and a container of sorts.

i will have to thank my mom for introducing me to really good crepes.

 

[urmaniac13]

We love crepes but our primary problem is not the recipe, (pretty similar to home chef's, or without sugar for savoury) but the operation... it always seemed to me that it required 3 hands, 1 to hold the griddle still, 1 to pour the batter and 1 to spread out the batter on the griddle quickly and evenly with the T bar, all needs to be done simultaneously. It is usually a 2 man operation for us... do you guys manage this all by yourselves?

 

[Ishbel]

I think that the flour used in France DOES taste different - a bit like Italian flours for pasta dishes are 'different'. I know that buying a loaf from a french boulangerie and buying the SAME style of loaf in the UK does not mean they taste the same! Trying to come up with regional cooking specialities with local (to you) ingredients can be difficult.