Holy Crèpe!

Every once in a while, we like to do things a little differently and it’s not often that we get to test out a new breakfast treat on people other than ourselves.  So when my parents came to visit a few weeks back, Kyle and I brainstormed for a bit about what to serve.  And I’m proud to say that it was Kyle who came with the idea for a crèpe bar for this special breakfast…so very proud that my darling husband thinks like a foodie just as much as I do!

Well, let me tell you, if you’re looking for an easy breakfast to put together for guest when your time is limited that has a wow factor of about oh, 15 on a scale of 1-10, you must try out a crèpe bar!  There is a reason why you can walk up to a crèpe cart in the middle of Paris and buy a crèpe just as easily as you can buy a dirty water dog off a cart in the middle of New York City…it’s because they are easy to make!  And best of all, if you’re making them for company, you can make them a few days in advance and stick them in the fridge until you’re ready to eat them.   Aside from the ease factor, this was seriously the best breakfast I’ve had in ages!  We set out a bunch of different fillings (see below) and then just munched away until almost all of the crèpes were gone.  My thanks go out to Alton Brown for providing such a great (and simple!!) crèpe recipe – one which you can make for either sweet or savory fillings.  I added about 2 tbsp of sugar to the basic recipe even though we had some savory fillings as well – really, you can’t much tell the difference…and after all, it’s what’s on the inside that counts!!

Fillings:

• whipped cream
• fresh strawberries (sliced)
• fresh banana (sliced)
• strawberry sauce
• melted milk chocolate (or you could do Nutella of course, but Kyle is allergic to hazelnuts)
• sautéed chorizo and linguicia mixture with crème fraiche (post coming soon!)
• hash brown potatoes (post coming soon!)

Crèpes

source: Alton Brown; Yields 17-22 crèpes

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• Butter, for coating the pan

1. In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.
2. Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

*Savory Variation Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, spinach or sun-dried tomatoes to the egg mixture.

*Sweet Variation Add 21/2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of your favorite liqueur to the egg mixture.