Now that's a crêpe

As dictated by tradition, I made crêpes on February 2nd (for la Chandeleur, or Candlemas in English). This time, I tried Clotilde Dusoulier’s recipe from Chocolate and Zucchini. These turned out to be my favorite crêpes in a long time! The batter didn’t need to be sifted, yet my crêpes were as thin as I wanted (something which I often find lacking in other recipes). I got 12 crêpes out of this, and the first wasn’t even a dud. This batter was really great to work with! The crêpes themselves were delicious, too, and we ate most of them with maple syrup. This was a perfect recipe!

Note that if you want to use this recipe for savory crêpes, just omit the sugar and vanilla.

250 g. (2 cups) flour
¼ tsp. fine sea salt
50 g. (¼ cup) sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup lactose-free milk (vegan milk is fine, too)
1 cup water
vegetable oil, for cooking (I used Crisco canola oil spray)

Pour the flour in a large mixing bowl and form a well in the center. Add the salt, sugar, vanilla, and eggs into the well. Whisk gently in the center so the eggs will blend with part (not all) of the flour. Pour in the milk and water slowly, whisking as you pour. Keep whisking until all the flour is incorporated; the batter will be thin. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight (I chose the former).

Remove the batter from the fridge and whisk it again. Set a thick-bottomed, low-rimmed skillet over high heat. Wait until it is very hot, enough to make a drop of water sizzle. Spray the pan with good quality vegetable oil, or dip a folded paper towel in a ramekin that contains a little vegetable oil and wipe it over the pan to grease it lightly.

Ladle a little batter in the pan, just enough to cover the pan thinly, and tilt the pan around in a slow circular motion so the batter forms a round disk. Cook for 40 seconds or so, until the edges start to turn golden and pull slightly away from the sides. Run the tip of a hard spatula around the crêpe to loosen, peek underneath, and flip the crêpe when you see that it is golden. Cook for 20 more seconds on the other side, or until golden as well, and slip out of the pan onto a plate. (Note that the first crêpe is usually a dud, and this is normal, but this time I didn’t get any duds in the batch.) Grease the skillet again every 2 or 3 crêpes.

Serve the crêpes from the skillet as you make them, or pile them in a heatproof plate set over a saucepan of simmering water, covering the crêpes with foil until ready to serve (you can also place them on a baking sheet in a warm oven). The batter and crêpes will keep for 2 or 3 days in the fridge, covered; they are great for breakfast the next day. Typical flavorings include maple syrup, Nutella, or lemon juice and sugar.