CRÊPES

makes about 8

Richard Olney writes about crêpes and their versatility with great affection in Simple French Food (Penguin, 1983)—eaten sweet (dessert crêpes) and nonsweet (savory crêpes) alike. After years of sweetening his dessert crêpe batter with sugar, as most recipes call for, he realized he preferred them unsweetened—a dessert crêpe is sweet enough, he reasoned, without adding more sweetness to the batter. We've followed his lead and omit sugar from our recipe below, which can be used, conveniently, for making either sweet or savory crêpes. They are delicious eaten straight from the pan spread with soft butter or jam, buttered and sugared, rolled up with a thin slice of ham and finely grated Gruyère, or warmed up one at a time in a bit of melted butter in a skillet over medium heat with any of the dessert crêpe fillings.

Though crêpe batter can be used right away, the crêpes will be more tender if the batter has rested for an hour. This recipe can easily be doubled and the batter will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2 days.

Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in the eggs and Cognac. Gradually add the milk, whisking until smooth, then stir in the melted butter. Strain the batter through a sieve into a small pitcher or a bowl. Let rest for 1–2 hours.

Heat a seasoned crêpe pan or medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Grease pan by rubbing it with a little butter. Stir batter, then pour about 2 tablespoons batter into the pan, tilting and rotating it the minute the batter hits the pan. Quickly swirl batter around so that it coats the bottom of the pan in a very thin, even layer. Pour any excess batter back into the pitcher. When the crêpe surface is set, the edges curl, and the underside is golden, about 1 minute, turn it over with your fingers or a thin spatula. Cook other side until pale golden in spots, about 30 seconds. Turn pan upside down and tip crêpe out onto a plate. (Your first couple of crêpes may not be successful, but keep going until you get the hang of it.) Repeat with remaining batter, makingabout 8 crêpes in all. Serve crêpes warmed one at a time in a bit of melted butterin a skillet over medium heat with any of the fillings below. Crêpes keep, stacked between sheets of wax paper and wrapped in plastic wrap, in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.

DESSERT CRÊPES

LEMON SUGAR CRÊPES: Combine the finely grated zest of 1 lemon with 1 cup sugar. Put a warm crêpe (page 47) on a plate and spread it with some soft butter. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the crêpe and sprinkle with 1–2 tablespoons of the lemon sugar. Repeat with remaining crêpes and lemon sugar.—makes 8

ORANGE SUGAR CRÊPES: Follow the directions for making Lemon Sugar Crêpes, substituting finely grated zest of 1 orange for the lemon zest and a splash of Cointreau for the lemon juice.—makes 8

CHOCOLATE & TOASTED HAZELNUT CRÊPES: Stir ½ cup hot heavy cream into 3 ounces chopped chocolate until smooth. Spread a spoonful of the chocolate sauce over a warm crêpe. Sprinkle a small
handful of chopped, peeled, toasted hazelnuts on top.—makes 8

PEAR & GORGONZOLA CRÊPES: Put 1–2 ounces soft Gorgonzola dolce on a warm crêpe. Arrange peeled slices of half a perfectly ripe pear on top.—makes 1