Crepes
Every French household makes use of crepes, not only as a festive dessert for Mardi Gras and Candlemas Day, But as an attractive way to turn leftovers or simple ingredients into a nourishing main-course dish. Crepes may be rolled around a filling of fish, meat, or vegetables, spread with sauce, and browned under the broiler. More spectacular is a gateau de crepes is which the pancakes are piled upon each other in a stack of 24, each spread with a filling. This is then heated in the oven and gratineed with a good sauce. Or the crepes may be piled in a soufflé mold with alternating layers of filling, heated in the oven and unmolded, and coated with sauce. Whatever system you decide upon, including rolled crepes, your dish may be prepared in advance and heated up when you are ready to serve.
Dessert crepes, called crepes sucrees, and entrée crepes, crepes salees, have slightly different proportions, but their batters are blended and cooked in the same way. The following recipe is made with an electric blender, because it is so quick. If you do not have one, gradually blend the eggs into the flour, beat in the liquid by spoonfuls, then the butter, and strain the batter to get rid of any lumps. Crepe batter should be made at least 2 hours before it is to be used; this allows the flour particles to expand in the liquid and insures a tender, light, thin crepe.
Pate a Crepes
{Crepe Batter}
For about 25 to 30 crepes, 6 to 6½ inches in diameter
1 cup cold milk
1 cup cold water
4 eggs
½ tsp salt
1½ cups flour (scooped and leveled)
4 Tb melted butter
A rubber scraper
Put the liquids, eggs, and salt into the blender jar. Add the flour, then the butter. Cover and blend at top speed for 1 minute. If bits of flour adhere to sides of jar, dislodge with rubber scraper and blend for 2 to 3 seconds more. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
The batter should be a very light cream, just thick enough to coat a wooden spoon. If, after making your first crepe, it seems to heavy, beat in a bit of water, a spoonful at a time. Your cooked crepe should be about 1/16th inch thick.
Method
The first crepe is a trial one to test out the consistency of your batter, the exact amount you need for the pan, and the heat.
Rub the skillet with the rind or brush it lightly with oil. Set over moderately high heat until the pan is just beginning to smoke.
Immediately remove from the heat and, holding handle of pan in your right hand, pour with your left hand a scant ¼ cup of batter into the middle of the pan. Quickly tilt the pan in all directions to run the batter all over the bottom of the pan in a thin film. (Pour and batter that does not adhere to the pan back into your bowl; judge the amount for your next crepe accordingly.) This whole operation takes but 2 or 3 seconds.
Return the pan to heat for 60 to 80 seconds. Then jerk and toss pan sharply back and fourth and up and down to loosen the crepe. Lift the edges with a spatula and if the under side is a nice light brown, the crepe is ready for turning.
Turn the crepe by using 2 spatulas; or grasp the edges nearest you in your fingers and sweep it you toward you and over again into the pan in a reverse circle; or toss it over by a flip of the pan
Brown lightly for about ½ minute on the other side. This second side is rarely more that a spotty brown, and is always kept as the underneath or nonpublic aspect of the crepe. As they are done, slide the crepes onto a rack and let cool several minutes before stacking on a plate.
Grease the skillet again, heat to just smoking, and proceed with the rest of the crepes.
Crepes may be kept warm by covering them with a dish and setting them over simmering water or in a slow oven. Or they may be made several hours in advance and reheated when needed. (Crepes freeze perfectly.) As soon as you are used to the procedure, you can keep 2 pans going at once, and make 24 crepes in less that half an hour.
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