These versatile crepes are perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner!
Prep Time: 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 20 minutesminutes
Resting time: 2 hourshours
Total: 30 minutesminutes
Servings: 12crepes (6 servings).
Ingredients
1cupwhole milk, divided use
2ouncesunsalted butter(1/2 stick, 4 tablespoons)
1/2teaspoonsalt
1/2teaspoonsugar
1/4cupplus 2 tablespoons buckwheat flour
1/4cupplus 2 tablespoons whole spelt or wheat flour
1/4cupplus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2eggs
1 1/2teaspoonsvegetable oil (such as sunflower)
1/2cupbeer (such as Anchor Steam, or another lager)
Instructions
In a small saucepan, gently heat 1/2 cup of the milk with the butter, salt and sugar until the butter is melted. Let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together the flours in a medium bowl. Make a well, and add the eggs and oil. Whisk until very smooth, gradually adding in the beer and the cooled butter/milk mixture. Chill the batter for at least two hours in the fridge, or up to a couple of days. Remove from the fridge and stir in enough of the remaining 1/2 cup of milk until the batter reaches the consistency of heavy cream.
To cook the crepes, heat a well-seasoned 8 or 9" crepe pan or skillet over medium heat. Swirl about half a teaspoon of butter or oil in the pan, then wipe it out with a paper towel. (Unlike pancakes, you don't want a lot of fat in the pan, just enough to prevent the crepes from sticking. If your pan is well-seasoned, you will only need to oil it once before you begin, but wipe the pan with a bit more butter if your crepes begin to stick.) Pour 3 - 4 tablespoons of batter into the pan and swirl it to coat it evenly. If you've poured in too much batter, you can pour the excess back into the bowl. If you have some holes in your crepe, you can dab on a bit of batter to fill them up. This may take a bit of practice, but you will soon be swirling like a pro.
Let the crepe cook until lightly golden on the first side, about a minute, then flip and cook another 30 seconds or so on the second side. (I like to use a small, metal, offset spatula to pry up a side of the crepe, then I bravely use my fingers to flip it over.) Slide the crepe onto a large plate, and continue with the batter, stacking the crepes as you go, until you've used it all up. (If you want this to go faster, you can use two pans: one to cook the first side, then flip it into the second pan to finish cooking while you start another one in the first pan.)
Cover the crepes with a damp towel and leave at room temp for an hour or two, or cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to several days.
To reheat and serve:
Each crepe will have a pretty side (the first side it was cooked on) and an 'aesthetically challenged' one (the second side.) Melt a little butter in a pan and heat the crepe pretty-side-up for a few seconds. Flip and heat the second side (ugly-up). You can melt cheese on the crepe, and add any other ingredients you like. Fold it half or into quarters and serve. Alternatively, you can roll the crepes up (with any desired ingredients), place them side by side in a baking dish, sprinkle some cheese over the tops if you wish, and bake in an oven until heated through.
Notes
Adapted (barely) from the Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook, by Alice Waters.Nutritional values are based on one of twelve crepes.