My little French grandmother made the best crêpes in the world—some savory and some sweet—or so I thought. She had the trick perfected of getting the batter thin enough to easily roll around and spread out in the frying pan so that the crêpes were thin and yet hung together so they could be rolled. You may need to add additional liquid depending on the type of flour used. Experiment a bit. Be brave and creative. It just takes practice and pretty soon you’ll have mastered the art.
This basic recipe can be used for either savory or sweet crêpes. Depending on size and thinness, this recipe makes about a dozen nine-to-ten inch crêpes.
Basic Ingredients
- 3 egg whites or equivalent in egg beaters
- 2 to 3 cups non-dairy milk (coconut, almond)
- 2 cups flour (white or mixed white-brown)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 Tbsp oil (olive, coconut)
You can use this basic recipe for either savory or sweet crêpes. You can also modify it more specifically:
- For savory basic crêpes, add ¼ tsp pepper and 1 tsp chicken-like seasoning to the basic ingredients.
- For sweet basic crêpes, add 1 Tbsp sugar and 1 tsp real vanilla to the basic ingredients.
Preparation
Start with 2 cups of non-dairy milk and combine it along with all other ingredients in a mixer. Blend until smooth.
Add additional non-dairy milk as needed to get desired consistency, but add only a ¼ cup at a time so the batter doesn’t become too watery.
Cooking
Place a large frying pan over medium high heat. Spray with olive oil.
Pour about ¼ cup of batter into the frying pan and immediately tilt the pan using a circular motion to coat the surface evenly.
Cook until the crêpe until it is light brown on the bottom. Loosen crêpe with a spatula and turn over. Cook the other side until light brown.
Remove from the frying pan and set aside.
Spray frying pan and repeat process until all crêpes have been cooked.
Serving
Savory crêpes can be filled and rolled (see Taylor’s Savory Dill Crêpes).
Sweet crêpes can also be filled with fruit or a fruit-yogurt mix and rolled. Or the crêpes can be folded in half and then in half again and topped with fruit or a fruit-yogurt mix, or just with real maple syrup and chopped nuts.
Freezing
I typically make a double or triple batch. Basic crêpes that are left over can be refrigerated for several days by placing a piece of waxed paper between each one, stacking them, and placing the stack in a Ziploc® bag to preserve freshness.
They can also be frozen in the same way. If frozen, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw in the Ziploc® bag on the counter. Remove waxed paper and heat each crêpe in the microwave for a few seconds if you prefer warm crêpes. You can also place them in a hot oven for a few minutes, taking care to avoid getting them too crisp to roll.