Crepe...an easy recipe!

I first ate Crepe on a family holiday to Brittany, many years ago. We stayed for a month in a huge old Manoir in Pont L'Abbe. Some of my memories of this and other early childhood holidays are so strong and vivid. Not just sights and sounds, but taste and smell. I ate, amongst other things for the first time, delicious, crusty fresh bread each morning. Artichokes served simply with a vinargrette. All sorts of new and interesting sea food. Langoustine and spider crab, oysters and mussels.The butcher made sausages to order..right there in the shop, fantastic. Then there was the creperie....where again everything was made fresh. I remember being totally in love with these wafer thin pancakes..usually eaten simply with a sprinkling of sugar and lemon juice.

Last Shrove Tueday..Pancake Day, I invited some friends over to eat. As I was buying ingredients, I suddenly remembered Crepe. Wondered how easy they might be to make. A quick search on the web brought a confusing array of recipes. Here is my version of one I followed that day. I've changed it sufficiently, to now claim it as my own!

To make approximately 12 Crepe you will need;
3 Medium Eggs
1 Cup of plain white flour, seived
1 1/2 cups of full fat milk
Pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon of sugar
50 grams, equating to 4 tablespoons of clarified butter.

Quite simply put all the ingredients, except the butter, into a blender. Blend for one minute on full power!

Now strain the batter through a seive. Set the mixture aside for at least an hour, using a kitchen towel to cover it. Preferably leave the mixture longer..a few hours is best.

Melt the butter gently. I have had some success using a microwave oven on defrost for thirty seconds. Now carefully separate the clear butter from the whiteish deposits in the bottom.

Whisk four tablespoons of the clarified butter into the batter mixture.

I don't have a proper crepe pan. So I use my largest, thickest frying pan. Set a medium high heat. Making crepe is for the brave in the kitchen. The hotter the pan the better...as long as it doesn't stick!! Use a piece of kitchen towel lightly dipped into the remaining butter to oil the frying pan. There'll be quite a puff of smoke if the pan's hot!

Now for the first one. I use a 1/3 cup measure for each one. Pour it onto the pan and tilt to coat the whole surface. Don't worry about it sticking! The edges will come up a little and using the back of a tablespoon lift the edge. Lightly lift and flip the crepe onto the otherside. Now cook this side whilst shaking the pan, for perhaps a couple of minutes.

The brandy is for the chef and entirely optional, though thoroughly recommended. The first crepe can be seen as experimental. You may need more..or less heat. Or if the mixture is too thick. In which case carefully add more milk to the batter and re-whisk. Crepe are best thin...but don't take this too far!

Have fun cooking and eat any that might go wrong! Or why not eat the best ones yourself! Try and find a willing slave to wash up but remind them that the pan is hot enough to turn water to steam!
Serve the crepe stuffed with ham and cheese for a savoury suggestion. Or simply with sugar and lemon juice. With chocolate spread like Nutella, for a tasty breakfast treat.