Strawberry Crepes

(I would like to apologize in advance for the quality of the pictures. They are terrible, but the food was good--promise!)


Well, let's start off the blog with something delicious and very easy to make. Crepes are one of my most favorite dessert dishes because they are the perfect vehicle to any craving I might have--strawberries, chocolate, peaches, berries, ice cream, pudding...basically anything you can think of! Anything goes.

But your crepe fever doesn't have to stop there! Crepes can be used to make delicious dinners with left over chicken, ham or turkey. One delicious crepe I had in Paris was like a grilled ham and cheese, only, on a crepe. Tasty.

Here is my grandma's recipe, which makes about 35 crepes in all. I usually half the recipe, since we definitely don't need 35 crepes all to ourselves!

4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup melted butter

For dessert crepes add:
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons sugar

Combine all ingredients in a blender jar; blend for about 1 minute. Scrape down sides with a rubber spatula and blend for another 15 seconds or until smooth. Refrigerate batter for at least 1 hour (this allows flour to expand).

(When I made the crepes this time I used whole wheat flour for half of the recipe. It was pretty good, but I think I would recommend sticking with all purpose flour for the entire recipe.)

Cook on crepe griddle or traditional pan. Here is an example of a crepe pan. This one was a present, but I am sure that you can find them at any store that sells kitchen supplies, and they should be pretty cheap. Otherwise, I am sure that you can just use a flat bottomed skillet--it would probably work just as well. (PS--Ignore the dirty stove. It is stained from when Jeff cooked carne asada...I need to get some bleach scrub, but until then...)

Tips for cooking:
*It isn't necessary to grease pans that have a non-stick coating. Other pans should be brushed with oil or butter.

*Heat pan over medium-high heat. With one hand pour in 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter (I just usually use a 1/4 measuring cup and fill it up half way). At the same time, lift pan about heating unit with your other hand. Immediately tilt pan in all directions, swirling the batter so it covers the bottom of the pan in a very thin layer. Work quickly before batter cooks too much to swirl.

*Return to heating unit and cook over medium-high heat. Cook crepe until bottom is slightly golden brown, then carefully turn with spatula. Brown the other side for a few seconds, and then remove from the pan. Repeat!

So, lets talk fillings. You can use anything you want--fresh or frozen. Since it is the beginning of strawberry season and since Costco has some amazingly tasty strawberries, I went with the fresh. I just slice them up, sprinkle them with a little sugar, then refrigerate until the crepes are ready.

Then I add a little vanilla ice cream--vanilla bean is our favorite, but I suppose that you could use another kind--and top with a few strawberries. Roll it up, then top with your choice of whipped cream, additional strawberries and chocolate! Delish!