Learn to make crepes, sure to become a Christmas tradition.
Pull out the crêpe pan and celebrate Christmas morning with the most elegant pancake of all. And a recipe that will have your family in and out of the kitchen, testing, and taking part in cooking something they won't soon forget.
The smell of melting butter wafting from your kitchen is all you'll need to get your family gathering around, longing to eat them hot - right out of the pan. Give them a sprinkle of sugar, fold them into triangles, and give everyone a taste. It's a real bonding experience that will quickly become a tradition. That's what Christmas is all about.
It's not hard with our French-style crepe recipe using only 6 ingredients, and salted butter for the pan. If you don't have a crepe pan, use a lightweight non-stick fry pan; it works well too. They're ultra-thin, delicate, and buttery, and so good!
You can mix the batter by hand or use a stand mixer, but the secret to the perfect crepes is allowing the batter to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. This is a crucial step as it allows the batter to congeal.
You can serve them simply sprinkled with sugar, or with fresh berries and whipped cream. Or to make things extra special, we suggest preparing several different fillings and offering them buffet-style, which will allow everyone to jump from berries and cream to savoury mushrooms, and the heartiness of steak, potatoes, and hollandaise! Serve with freshly squeezed juices, a little Christmas jazz, and voilà, the stage is set.
French-style Crepes Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
3 cups whole milk
5 organic eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Salted butter for the skillet
Preparation
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
Combine milk, eggs, and vanilla in bowl of stand mixer, and using the whisk attachment, mix until well combined about 5 minutes. Slowly add (in portions) the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, mixing as you add to avoid lumps. Then place batter back into stand mixer bowl and beat until smooth, about 5 minutes.
Remove the stand mixer bowl from the stand and cover with plastic. Place in fridge and chill for 20 minutes. This is a very important step as it allows the batter to congeal.
To cook the crepes, heat a small lightly buttered crepe pan (or small non stick fry pan) over medium heat. Pour 1/8 cup mixture onto pan; gently tip pan to spread batter. Cook 2 minutes each side or until golden. Remove crepe to parchment-lined cookie sheet and place in slightly warmed oven (only for a few minutes) for keeping. Repeat with the remaining mixture until all crepes are cooked, adding more butter to the pan with each crepe if needed.
Banana coconut crêpes with caramel sauce
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 bananas, cut into 1⁄4-inch slices
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted
¼ cup hazelnuts, toasted, roughly chopped
In small sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add bananas and sauté until slices are just warm. Add nutmeg, coconut and hazelnuts. Continue to sauté approximately 1 minute longer. Do not overcook or bananas will become mushy.
Fill crêpes with banana filling, roll, top with caramel sauce. Serves 4.
Wild mushroom and asparagus crêpes
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ medium white onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups mixed mushrooms (such as porcini, portobello, chanterelle, button, oyster), sliced
6 stalks asparagus, blanched, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cups arugula
2 cups white wine
¼ cup vegetable stock
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
In a sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and sauté until tender. Add mushrooms and sauté approximately 5 minutes or until slightly tender. Add asparagus and arugula and stir to wilt. Deglaze with white wine and vegetable stock. While stirring, let liquid reduce by half. Season with salt and pepper. Fill crêpes with mushroom mixture and roll. Serves 4.
Fresh berry crêpes with whipped cream
2 cups raspberries
1 cup blackberries
Juice and zest of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup honey (adjust depending on bitterness of blackberries)
Mix berries with citrus juices, zest and honey. Let macerate for at least 3 hours. Drain half of liquid from berries to avoid making crêpes soggy.
Fill crêpes with berries, roll and top with whipped cream. Serves 4.
Smoked salmon crêpes with capers and lemon cream
1 cup cream cheese spread
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
½ cucumber, thinly sliced
8 slices smoked salmon
24 capers
Mix cream cheese with fresh dill and lemon zest. Season to taste with pepper. Spread cream cheese onto crêpes and top with thinly sliced cucumbers, capers, smoked salmon and roll. Serves 4.
Steak and eggs crêpes with hollandaise
Steak and potatoes
2 Summerhill’s Own New York Strip Loin
1 pkg Summerhill’s Own Fingerling Potatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon thyme, plus
1 small thyme sprig
2 rosemary sprigs
Lemon hollandaise sauce
3 egg yolks, room temperature
4 ½ teaspoons water, room temperature
4 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup salted butter, melted and cooled
Sea salt to taste
Poached eggs
1 teaspoon white vinegar
4 eggs
Marinate steak with 2 tablespoons olive oil, shallots, garlic, 1 tablespoon thyme and 1 rosemary sprig for at least 2 hours or over night in fridge. To cook, bring skillet to high heat then reduce to medium. Scrape marinade from steak and sear, about 5 minutes per side, for medium rare. Let rest 6 to 8 minutes. Thinly slice. Meanwhile, cook potatoes according to package directions.
For hollandaise, whisk yolks in large heatproof glass bowl until they begin to turn pale, about 1 minute. Whisk in water. Set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water; heat yolk mixture, whisking vigorously, until pale and thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove bowl from pan. Whisk in lemon juice. Whisking constantly, pour in melted butter gradually until thickened. Season with salt to taste. Serve immediately.
For eggs, fill large saucepan with water and vinegar. Bring to boil, and reduce heat to medium-low. Water should be simmering slightly. Crack one egg at a time in small bowl and slowly drop egg in water. Using large spoon, swirl in the water near the edge of pot to create a vortex so the egg curls into itself. Cook approximately 4 to 5 minutes or until desired doneness. Remove with slotted spoon and dry on a paper towel.
Place potato wedges and steak slices inside crêpes and roll. Top with one poached egg, hollandaise sauce, salt and pepper, if desired. Serves 4.
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