Enjoy delicious crepes for your next breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert!

Crepes are a delicious vehicle for appetizers, side dishes, main entrées and desserts. The French version of pancakes, you can find crepes served in restaurants around the globe.

Foods related to the crepe:

• Mexican Tortillas
• Jewish Blintzes
• Chinese Egg Rolls
• Italian Manicotti
• Swedish Pancakes

Crepes are easy to make. A 10" skillet will be enough equipment to suffice, but you can invest in crepe equipment such as special crepe pans, electric crepe makers, and crepe utensils.

Crepes only take a few ingredients. Some flour, sugar, eggs, milk and butter with an addition of vanilla or herbs and spices. Crepes allow the home cook to experiment with flavors or sweet, spicy or savory.

Making crepe batter includes using a blender for best results. The blender is recommended to make a lighter batter and incorporate more air, creating a light, fluffy crepe. For best results, use ingredients at room temperature and let the batter rest for approximately 30 minutes. Resting the batter allows for the flour absorb the liquid and creates a more tender crepe.

Cooking the crepes, add about 2 T. or a small ladle of crepe batter to the pan or crepe maker, quickly rotate the pan or use the crepe spreading utensils. Continue to move the batter around the pan to evenly spread over the entire surface of the pan. The crepe is done on the first side when you see the edges starting to brown a bit, 45-60 seconds. Using a large wood spatula, flip the crepe over and cook quickly on the other side.

Crepes can be served in many ways, folded, rolled or stacked. Serving sometimes depends on the fillings. Use the information below to decide the best way to serve your crepes:

• Folded in quarters, this works for plain or a very thin spread and a sauce
• Rolled, used with spoonful's of an entrée or dessert mixture. Used with baking or broiling and filling with ice cream or moose.'
• Folded into an envelope; perfect for small appetizers or a crispy fried treat
• Stacked; make a cake or a casserole – served hot or cold.

Crepes are versatile; they can be served simple sauce or fancy filled. Crepes are served cold, warm, baked or broiled.

To store, cool crepes, never stack hot crepes together. Stack a batch on a sheet of foil, use waxed paper between crepes. Freeze in stacks of eight in a large plastic freezer bag removing as much air as possible.

For thawing, defrost crepes in the refrigerator; allow crepes to warm up to room temperature before using.

Hints for Success!

It may take a couple of test crepes to get there! If crepes stick, recipes that use oil in place of butter can stick slightly. Recipes with too much sugar in the batter can stick slightly. Wipe surfaces of the crepe maker with butter and a paper towel before the first crepe, or between each crepe.  Depending on the recipe; batters can be different. Some produce thin lacy crepes; others are more egg-y. Oil may make crepes stick – butter is recommended. Sugar adds crispness, but too much can cause crepe to stick or crack while rolling.

Try the recipe below for a simple and delicious result. This is perfect for the beginner and elegant for an expert chef as well.  Enjoy this for breakfast or dessert.

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 T. Sugar
• 1 T. Butter
• Dash salt

1. In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar.
2. Mix well, add flour and blend till lumps disappear.
3. Drizzle in butter and salt, mix gently.
4. Heat and grease skillet or crepe pan.
5. Spoon 3 T. Crepe batter into pan, spread to a thin pancake layer.
6. Cook approximately 45-60 seconds, until edges are brown and crispy.
7. Flip crepe, continue cooking for 30 seconds.
8. Remove crepe from pan, layer on plate.
9. Repeat!

• 8 basic dessert crepes
• 1-2 fresh lemons
• Fresh lemon zest
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar for sprinkling

1. Prepare basic dessert crepes, remove from crepe pan, quarter fold.
2. Place crepes in a serving dish.
3. Squeeze fresh lemon over crepes.
4. Top with lemon zest.
5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
6. Serve and devour immediately!