My dear hungry people, today is an exciting day! Because today the final of the World Cup takes place and soon we will know who is going to be the winner. However, I am also excited because of this recipe. I am talking about French crêpes. Seems like people from France were born with the skills for making French crêpes. The whole process looks so easy, smooth and quick. Well, guess what? It doesn’t just look like that, it really is like that. The recipe is very easy and everyone can make it at home.
This dish is so popular that you can enjoy it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and any time in between. It is also perfect as a dessert or even better, you can organize a French crêpes party. Does it sound too good to be true? Well, yes, but it is true.
There are two types of French crêpes; savoury and sweet. And based on that you choose what fillings you prefer to use. Regarding the fillings, there’s no limitation. The choice is unlimited. How cool is that?! Since I made sweet crêpes, I used fig-orange jam and fresh orange wedges. But you can also use honey, chocolate, cream, fresh berries or any other fruit and so on. I remember my mother liked to sprinkle some sugar on them and then squeeze some lemon juice on top. That’s also a great combination.
Is this your first attempt at making French crêpes? No worries, it is very similar to making pancakes. Check out these ingredients and give it a try.
Ingredients for 8-10 French crêpes:
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tbsp melted butter
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 230 g flour
- 250 ml milk
- 20-30 ml water
- 50 ml fresh orange juice (squeezed from the rest of the orange, after cutting out the wedges)
- vanilla essence
- salt
Ingredients for the sweet filling:
- 3 oranges
- fig-orange jam (or any other)
- icing sugar
Start with cutting the oranges into wedges. Carefully, using a sharp knife, remove all the white parts (they are too bitter and they don’t look nice). Squeeze the juice out of the rests and keep it on a side (you are going to use it later in the crêpe batter).
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. Add the sugar, vanilla, melted butter, salt, water and the fresh orange juice. At the end sift in the flour (a little at a time) and whisk until smooth and no flour is visible. Leave the batter to rest for 10-15 minutes.
I also prepared a baking dish and a clean kitchen towel. In order to keep the French crêpes warm, preheat the oven to 40ºC (or the minimum your oven is capable of) and when the crêpes will be done (after every second), simply place them on the baking dish, covered with the towel and put it in the oven.
Furthermore, grease a non-sticking pan (ca 20-25 cm) with butter or oil. You don’t need to grease after every crêpe. It is enough if you do it after every 5th or 6th crêpe. Heat the pan on medium-high and once it gets hot, pour in some batter using a ladle. Remember, the French crêpes need to be thin (around 1mm). Consequently, don’t put too much batter at once in the pan. The amount of batter should be enough to cover the pan’s bottom in a thin layer.
At the same time, when pouring the batter onto the pan, tip the pan from one side to another, in order to spread the batter evenly around the pan. After 40-60 seconds flip the crêpe around and leave it in for another 30 seconds. Once it gets a light golden-brown colour they are ready. Place them into the baking dish, covered with a towel and put in the oven.
If the first French crêpe won’t turn out so great, don’t worry. The first one is always the “crap” one to try out. One last thing to do; we need to add the filling. Spread a teaspoon of jam on the crêpe, add 2-3 orange wedges and fold it. There is also no right or wrong way how to fold them. Do it your way. Enjoy the French crêpes covered with icing sugar (that’s a must!) anytime anywhere.
Bon appetit!
P.S.: This was an exciting month; football and food brought us on this amazing FOODball journey. I hope you enjoyed all the recipes and if you have any suggestions for a special recipe from your home country don’t hesitate to write to me.
