Crepes

[QMomof3]

I saw in the dinner thread that Kari was having crepes for dinner. I love crepes, but growing up I only put butter, sugar and cinnamon in them...not the healthiest. What do you put in yours?

[candied]

I've actually never had crepes. I think they look and sound intimadating to make.

[girlysoxfan]

I've never had them either. They just don't look like they'd have much flavor. What are Candace & I missing?

[bellaboodaisy]

Mmmmm...Candace, Girly - you are missing out!!

Here is my recipe for Strawberry Crepes. We top it with a bit of the strawberry sauce (that's in the filling) as well as a bit of powdered sugar

Strawberry Crepes

• 4 cups hulled and halved strawberries
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Combine strawberries, granulated sugar, 1/4 cup water and cornstarch in medium saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat.

Crepes

3 eggs, large
1 1/3 cups milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for pan
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (optional)
Pinch salt
Various toppings: whipped cream, chocolate sauce, jams, powdered sugar, etc.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Add remaining ingredients and whisk vigorously until combined, small lumps are ok. Set batter aside to rest for 20 minutes.
Heat an 8-inch nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Lightly brush the pan with melted butter. Pour 1/4 cup batter into the hot pan, twirling the pan so the batter spreads out evenly into a very thin layer. Cook about 30 seconds until the crepe comes away from the sides of the pan. Gently flip the crepe over with your fingers or the help of a rubber spatula and continue cooking another few seconds. Transfer to a plate and repeat cooking crepes until all the batter is used.

[penny-penn]

They are also good filled with scrambled eggs, cheese & chopped veggies. Of course, you use a different recipe for the crepe than the one in Marianna's recipe.

[ABCisMe]

We just use butter, brown sugar and syrup. Yum!

[MomToElizabeth]

We make chicken crapes. It really is yummy.

[Admin Randy's Wife]

We eat scrambled eggs in ours most of the time. But, sometimes we will put butter, jelly, honey, etc! I am still no expert crepe maker, but practice makes perfect...so I keep trying.

[Michiana Mom]

I've never made them, only had them at our local breakfast place. But now that I've read through this I really want some apple crepes (which probably aren't any healthier than QMom's since it's apple pie filling)

[candied]

I am going to have to give it a try. I will have to get me an 8 inch pan first though.

[onehappybaby]

Not much healthier but I always make a white sauce~ and sometimes I add shredded cooked chicken or chopped ham and peas.
LOVE LOVE LOVE crepes!

[rosefall]

I've never tried to make them, but a stand at our farmers market has them and I love to get the "alpine" which I think has ham, prosciutto, swiss, and blue cheese.

[STACEY IN CALIF]

Sounds good. I've never had them either.

[Admin Irock]

When we were visiting relatives, my little 6 and 8yrold cousins were making them!! Once they're loosened, the girls would flip them in the air and catch them in the pan!!:) Ok, so, they weren't perfectly thin, but they were good, and such a fun thing to let the kids do!! We just treated them like pancakes, although, I put jam on mine, not butter and syrup.

Problem is, you can only make one at a time, sorta time consuming.:)

[2boys]

When I worked at IHOP, I fell in love w/ crepes. I've never thought about eating them as a savory item, they have always been a sweet to me.

I like the cheese blintzes from IHOP...crepes filled w/ cheeses and topped w/ strawberries. I also like them w/ ligonberry butter and jelly w/ powdered sugar.

I've never made them, may have to try the savory way sounds interesting.

[onehappybaby]

I've always had them savory, in fact the french eat them mainly as savory dishes and good family friends (who are french) do a large batch of crepes with white sauce and chicken (I think) for Christmas!
They make them, and put them all in a pan like we would enchiladas~ that way everyone can eat at once, not as they come off the griddle!

I love to make them since they are super easy. I put the ingredients in my blender, and pour right onto the griddle.

[candied]

Oh my word! You can have them sweet and then a savory one! I can't wait to try.

Is there a specific recipe for the savory version or is it the same basic recipe that Marianna posted?

[onehappybaby]

Oh my word! You can have them sweet and then a savory one! I can't wait to try.

Is there a specific recipe for the savory version or is it the same basic recipe that Marianna posted?

I'm not looking at my recipe but it's just milk, flour, eggs, and butter so it looks the same. Just don't add the cocoa or any sugar of course! lol

[candied]

LOL! Of course - I can't wait to try this. I may have to run to Target this weekend and give it a whirl.

[QMomof3]

These ideas sound great. Anyone want to post their recipes for ones with chicken or cheese, etc? I never even thought to put that in crepes!!

[EmmaLu]

Like PP I have had them at the farmers market. Savory ones are really good- I had ham and the cheese that's like swiss but spelled with a "g" and I can't spell it...:o I also had one with Nutella and strawberries in it. It was soooo good.

[Admin shilton]

I have always thought of them filled with sweet foods. When I was in Sweden they filled them with savory and couldn't imagine them sweet lol.

[MomToElizabeth]

This is my mom's recipe for Chicken Crepes

Crepes:
1 cup flour
3 eggs
2/3 cup milk

Combine in blender until smooth. Pour 2 Tbs crepe batter into bottom of non-stick skillet over medium heat (I use a crepe maker though as it is so much easier) . Tilt until batter coats entire bottom. Brown crepe on one side only. Cool.

Filling:
5 Tbsp butter
1 small onion chopped
1/4 lb fresh sliced mushrooms
3 Tbs flour
2/3 cup regular strength chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup half & half
2 cups chicken or turkey (cooked, sliced or shredded)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp crushed rosemary
shredded jack cheese

Melt 3 Tbsp butter in large frying pan. Cook onions and mushrooms until limp. Stir in remaining butter. Add flour and cook, stirring until bubbly. Gradually stir in broth and cream. Continue cooking (stirring regularly) until it thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken, Parmesan cheese, rosemary, and salt. Cool. Spoon 1-2 Tbsp filling down center of crepe and roll crepe (to freeze at this point, place on cookie sheet until frozen and then place in air tight container). Cover with foil. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese melts.

[onehappybaby]

Like PP I have had them at the farmers market. Savory ones are really good- I had ham and the cheese that's like swiss but spelled with a "g" and I can't spell it...:o I also had one with Nutella and strawberries in it. It was soooo good.

I'm guessing it was gruyere!
I love gruyere!

[Jaiden's Mommy]

Crepes are so awesome! Whodathunk that thin flimsy pancakes would taste good?! I guess the french :\

I remember our french teacher made them in class for us one year and gave us the recipe to take home. I love to make them but I haven't in so long. You can put practically anything in them. We did nutella and powdered sugar as kids but now I'd go a more healthy route lol

[girlysoxfan]

Just received this (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vanilla-Crepes/Detail.aspx?ms=1&prop25=30204894&prop26=DailyDish&prop27=2010-01-16&prop28=DailyRecipe&prop29=FullRecipe&me=1)recipe from all recipes in an email today...I think I'll try them tomorrow! I'm going to try a couple different fillings to see how/what we like in them. I'm going to try an apple cinnamon and a blueberry banana filling. Cannot wait! I'm going to follow some of the tips from reviewers and add a little water to make them lighter & use less butter.

[Admin Randy's Wife]

Yummy, let us know how you like them and how those fillings taste!

[candied]

Oh man I am in trouble! I can't wait to try these. I need to go to Target again today as I forgot to get the pan the first time we were there.

[onehappybaby]

Yum, looks good!
I'll have to dig up my recipe though cause it's super duper easy. It ALL goes into the blender which makes for easy clean up but just pour right onto the pan from the blender.
Mine might be an old Sunset magazine recipe...have to see if I can find it!

ETA The addition of vanilla for a sweet crepe sounds divine! I add vanilla to my french toast mix etc I love vanilla!

[girlysoxfan]

Didn't make it to target to buy stuff for the fillings as it was closed by the time the Colts game was over. Will hit them today, then make tomorrow.

[candied]

I bought my pan this morning at Target. Now I just need to figure out what fillings to add. I can't wait.

[raisinggracie]

LOL! I just met friends for brunch Saturday and we met at Crepe Revolution in Atlanta. I love them but I like mine savory - no fruit or sweet fillings.

Candied, here's the website's menu if you'd like some ideas on fillings...

http://www.creperevolution.com/Crepe_Rev_menu_BRUNCH_11_09.pdf

[Admin Randy's Wife]

LOL! I just met friends for brunch Saturday and we met at Crepe Revolution in Atlanta. I love them but I like mine savory - no fruit or sweet fillings.

Candied, here's the website's menu if you'd like some ideas on fillings...

http://www.creperevolution.com/Crepe_Rev_menu_BRUNCH_11_09.pdf

:eek: OMG, that looks like a YUMMY place! Crab and artichoke crepes....wowzers!

[candied]

Thanks Steph! I will give it a look over to see what I can come up with.

[QMomof3]

Girlysox and Raisinggracie, All of these ideas look so good! I will have to plan on trying some of them soon.

[Renyg11]

My grandma would make a dish called banana macaroni.

1 egg
1 C milk
1 C flour

make the crepes. She would mash up italian sausage and meatballs together with sauce, fill the crepes, roll them up. put some more sauce and some hard goat cheese on top. bake to warm them up.

My favorite childhood dish.....hmmm, now I need to figure out how to make these gluten free.

[girlysoxfan]

OMG - the shrimp & grits! WHY oh WHY didn't I know about this place before now? Ok, next time I'm in ATL I will check it out. Wow...I am literally drooling!

LOL! I just met friends for brunch Saturday and we met at Crepe Revolution in Atlanta. I love them but I like mine savory - no fruit or sweet fillings.

Candied, here's the website's menu if you'd like some ideas on fillings...

http://www.creperevolution.com/Crepe_Rev_menu_BRUNCH_11_09.pdf

[onehappybaby]

Hey I thought of this thread today!
America's Worst Cook did crepes!

[Shea]

I may have to make my own. I tried them ONCE at IHOP & did not care for them at all. I think mine had strawberries & whip cream. I wonder if I'd like them better homemade??

[Betsy]

DF and I just finished our first crepe dinner that we made by ourselves and thought I'd report what we made. For our savory "dinner" crepes we filled 'em with sliced ham, Camembert cheese, and apples thinly sliced. DF's second crepe was shredded swiss, sliced ham, and then an egg that he cracked over the open crepe and let sit for a minute to solidify before folding it in half.

Here's (http://s633.photobucket.com/albums/uu53/bet_zinfrance/?action=view&current=100_6187.flv) a video of our French friend teaching us how to make them two weeks ago. She is making one with ham and goat cheese, I think.

For dessert crepes we like Nutella and also sugar and lemon juice.

[candied]

Okay, so I am bringing up a very old thread but I have some questions.

We are going camping this weekend and we ALWAYS have the same stuff for breakfast, so I thought that maybe I could try crepes. Can I make the batter and Marianna's fruit mixture ahead of time? I could make them Saturday afternoon and then use it Sunday morning for breakfast - would that work?

I still haven't been able to make them yet and want to so bad.

[Betsy]

I don't see why not! It's basically pancake mix, so if you feel comfortable making that up ahead of time and then using it later, it should be fine. We've had leftover batter before, saved it in the fridge, and used it the next day.

[girlysoxfan]

Candace, my only suggestion would be to put saran wrap directly over the batter & then seal w/ a lid so that air doesn't get between the batter & the lid...does that make sense? If air gets in there, the batter will get a "skin" like on pudding when it sets in the fridge.

[MomToElizabeth]

Okay, so I am bringing up a very old thread but I have some questions.

We are going camping this weekend and we ALWAYS have the same stuff for breakfast, so I thought that maybe I could try crepes. Can I make the batter and Marianna's fruit mixture ahead of time? I could make them Saturday afternoon and then use it Sunday morning for breakfast - would that work?

I still haven't been able to make them yet and want to so bad.

We often freeze crepes and they are just fine. What I would do in your situation is make a bunch of crepes and freeze them (put waxed paper between each crepe). Just thaw out the crapes and you should be all set for breakfast.

[candied]

I don't have time to make them before hand, but most likely can get the batter made. I will try as girly suggested and maybe pack the ingredients just in case I mess it up:)

[onehappybaby]

The recipe I've always used says you MUST let the batter chill for several hours before using. (So the butter firms up and you have lovely crepes rather than wimpy ones!)
I think it would be fine to make it ahead, cover well, and keep chilled!

[candied]

Thanks ladies. I am going to make up the batter tomorrow afternoon so we can eat them on Sunday morning. I did make the strawberry stuff last night. DD16 saw it in the container and was itching to open it up - it was yummy :p

[Jaiden's Mommy]

I need to make crepes. I have my old recipe written on a sticky note tossed in my recipe binder. I miss the crepe days. Can't believe I never made them after I posted int he thread a while back. Oh well, one day I'll find the time to do it!

[onehappybaby]

I never dug out my recipe like I said I would....and I'm thinking crepes sounds easy and delish for dinner tonight since I don't feel like cooking.
I'll see if I can find it and if I do, I'll share!
Promise it's the easiest! Throw it all in a blender, chill, and then pour right outta the blender onto your pan! Voila!

[candied]

Well my crepe making attempt did not go well. I made the batter in the late afternoon on Saturday and attempted Sunday morning. The butter in the batter had solidified (spelling) and made it all chunky. It didn't work for me.

But I will NOT give up! I will make the batter and let it sit for about 20 minutes this time and give it a try. I will also be adding vanilla to the batter too.

[onehappybaby]

Really? You actually WANT the butter solidified for a good crepe! Did you make the batter in a blender? Did you add melted butter into the batter rather than solid?
Yikes!
Remember to only add vanilla and sugar if you want them sweet, add salt if you want them savory.
I could not find my recipe for the life of me, but I used a similar one~ Alton Brown's recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/crepes-recipe/index.html). Not sure if it's been shared here but easy!

[candied]

I did use melted butter in the batter and I did not have a blender - we were in the trailer. The butter solidified into small chunks though.

[onehappybaby]

I did use melted butter in the batter and I did not have a blender - we were in the trailer. The butter solidified into small chunks though.

Bummer. I'm not sure how to remedy that because you do want the butter cold...it's the only reason I keep my blender is for crepes! rofl