I must say I do enjoy starting the week with a breakfast post.  Typing up a lazy sunday’s brunch for Monday helps take the edge off of the stinging reminder of the impending hours spent in front of my computer in my office.  Nothing like a few hours on the couch on my laptop to offset that sentiment.  But while I was dreding the work week, I got to thinking.  What could I make on Sunday that would be good left overs for Monday?  Or even Tuesday.  Yeah sure, lots of dinner leftovers would work fine, but I’d like to have something a bit more versatile, something I could tweek to suite what ever mood I was in the next day.  What could possibly be so easy, versatile, and preserve well in the fridge?  Oh right, crepes!

The recipes for crepe batter vary depending on what you’re reading, but the general recipe is pretty standard: flour, milk, eggs, salt, rest, pour, serve.  The only trick I’ve ever discovered was shown to me by a roommate born and raised in Paris (I only had to bug her 37 times to teach me something “French”).  Maybe it’s more obvious to some, but her “trick” of melting a little butter and whiping the pan with a paper towel to coat was brilliant to me. Doing this seasons your pan so the crepe won’t stick, no butter clumps up or burns and the crepe cooks quickly and evenly.

So who’s recipe did i end up going with?  Home French cooking simply equals Julia.  Period.  And not surprisingly, it’s the most common sense way to mix the batter in my opinion.  Plus this is a master recipe, adding a little vanilla extract or sugar can sweeten up the mix for dessert crepes easily.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup cold water
3 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp clarified butter

Kitchen Soundtrack:  Pixies – Doolittle

First off get your butter in a medium low pan to heat and separate.  Skim dairy parts off when they float to the top.  You don’t have to clarify the butter, but it does tend to help keep the consistancy of the batter smooth.

In a bowl add your flour and salt. Slowly pouring in dribblets of milk use your whisk the mix well while trying to beat out any lumps.  You want the batter to be as smooth as possible.

Whisk in beaten eggs and clarified butter.  Again, you’re main goal is a smooth consistency.  Ready?  Into the fridge for a 1 hour to rest.

Get a medium sized pan on medium-high heat. Now the trick: 1/2 knob (Tbsp) of butter melts on medium-hot heat, and use a paper towel to brush butter as a smooth, even coat.

Working with about 1/4 cup of batter at a time, pour in and immediately swirl the pan so the batter spreads coating the pan evenly.  Then leave it be.  Seriously, just let it cook for about 2-3 minutes, and the crepe should unstick itself from the pan.  Shake and flip.

See?  After the initial swirl, back on the heat till the  edges will start to crisp up shortly.

By hand or with a spatula flip the crepe over.  That’s your pretty side.

Another minute or so on the other side and set aside, prefereable on a cooling rack.  Once the crepes have cooled you can stack and save.. or eat.  Eating is good.  Now the rest is up to you.

Got some fancy jelly?  Sweet.  Some left over soft cheese and mushrooms?  Heat it up and you’re golden.  Feeling something sweet?  Nutella, strawberries, whip cream and the glorious list goes on.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

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