Get Creative with Crepes

By Hklbrries

Recipes in collection associated with this article: Crepes (Gina Garcia, pastry chef at Cake, the bakery at Chaps) and Luna’s Crepes (Luna Restaurant, Spokane, WA)


Wafer-thin pancakes show versatility, shine at Easter with an array of fillings and toppings

Crepes start with a simple recipe of eggs, flour, milk, water and butter whisked to a liquid consistency, as shown here by Luna sous chef Zach Stone; Stone swirls the crepe batter around in a hot pan in the restaurant’s kitchen; the crepe, still sizzling in the pan, is filled with sweetened ricotta cheese and poached pears before being rolled up by Stone.

Crepes troubleshooting:

Compiled from “The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook” and “Crepes: Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Home Cook.”

Problem: Splotchy browning.
Solution: Preheat pan 10 minutes.


Problem: Batter spreads unevenly.
Solution: Tilt and shake the pan.

Problem: Crepe tears when flipped.
Solution: Try, try again.

Problem: Too many bubbles in the batter.
Solution: Let it stand. Batter was beaten too long in blender or food processor.

Problem: Crepes have a lacy pattern.
Solution: Batter may be too thin. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons flour.

Problem: Edges of crepe are too crisp and crack.
Solution: Decrease heat on the pan.

Problem: Small holes in the crepe.
Solution: Use more batter to cover pan.

Problem: Batter won’t cover bottom of pan.
Solution: Batter is too thick; thin batter with milk or water.


Crepes have an undeserved reputation for being temperamental.

Flipping and folding the wafer-thin pancakes can seem intimidating at first, but once you’ve successfully turned a few of the flimsy French flapjacks the rest is just culinary creativity. Crepes can be the perfect canvas for dishes ranging from savory to sweet – folded and dipped, or filled and topped in any number of ways. They make a nice addition to an Easter brunch.

The versatility of crepes is evident on menus around the area right now, where an array of fillings and toppings are featured.

Crepes on Luna’s brunch menu are filled with sweetened ricotta cheese and poached pears and then topped with regional fruit (recipe in collection).

At Madeleine’s Café and Patisserie, diners can pick sweet apple crepes, filled with cream, ricotta and cottage cheese and then topped with cinnamon apples, or ham and asparagus, topped with hollandaise and a poached egg.

The Shop is the latest to offer crepes, including one filled with Nutella, a cocoa and hazelnut spread, and bananas.

Kara Siemens, front of the house manager at Luna, said she has wonderful memories of eating her grandmother’s crepes as a child, which were simply filled with homemade jam.

Crepes have been featured on all courses of Luna’s menu in the restaurant’s 19 years, said owner Marcia Bond. “Every chef essentially puts their own spin on it.”

A recent savory crepe featured a poached egg and chopped ham, topped with Mornay sauce. They’ve also served Nutella crepes and others filled with lemon curd and topped with Chantilly cream. Siemens said she was just looking back at a menu from Luna’s early days which featured crepes Suzette – crepes topped with orange sauce and flambéed for diners when served.

Patience is the key when making crepes for the first time, said Gina Garcia, pastry chef at Cake, the bakery at Chaps. Garcia learned to make crepes in Brittany, the birthplace of the French pancakes. She served them at her popular South Hill eatery, Bittersweet Bakery and Bistro.

Originally called “galettes crepes,” they were initially made with buckwheat flour. Now, crepes made with plain or savory batter are common across France and increasingly popular in the United States. A new creperie in downtown Spokane called Beignets is scheduled to open in early summer.

Garcia said everyone learned to make crepes at Bittersweet, regardless of their culinary expertise.

“I would just let people get in front of the griddle and make mistakes over and over,” she said. “And then pretty soon you kind of have an aha moment where it all comes together and you think, ‘Well, that is easy.’ ”

It’s even easier for home cooks. Garcia said buying a commercial crepe machine for home use is not necessary, nor are the tools that one might see in use at creperies. Crepe pans are sold at most kitchen stores and are smaller than the round commercial griddles.

“Or, you could even use a shallow sauté pan that has a nonstick surface,” she said. “If you’re doing it at home you can just pick up the pan and swirl the batter in the pan until it sets.”

That’s how they make the crepes at Luna, where they skip the flipping step altogether and finish the crepes by transferring the pan into a hot oven.

Garcia said she uses a thin, flexible silicone spatula to loosen the edges of her crepes for flipping. Then she uses the spatula and her fingers to turn each crepe.

Make sure batter is thick enough to coat the pan, but thin enough to swirl and coat the pan quickly. Garcia said it’s also important to find the right temperature for the pan, so the crepes don’t burn before the batter is set.

Garcia said three popular crepes at Bittersweet included one with fried egg, ham and Swiss cheese; a crepe with poached pears, watercress and grilled chicken; and one with roasted red pepper and chicken sausage.

“You can do anything. It’s kind of like a sandwich, but a little bit lighter,” she said.

Making crepes can be time consuming. If you’re cooking for a crowd on Easter consider making the crepes ahead of time so everyone can eat together. Garcia said cooks can stack the crepes with a piece of parchment or wax paper in between, wrap them in foil and refrigerate for a few days or freeze. “You can heat them right up in the pan before filling,” she said.

Or, recruit your guests to help.

“Kids love crepes. I have two young boys and we make them at home and they can come up with their own kind of fillings, too. It’s a fun family thing to do together,” she said.

If you want to keep the crepes warm so you can serve them all together, use this tip from author Liz Franklin in “Crepes, Wraps and Rolls”: Stack the pancakes between layers of greaseproof paper, cover them loosely with foil and place them on a baking tray in the oven at 325 degrees.

Ingredients

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Preparation

Step 1

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