Crêpes.

Lately I find myself craving comfort foods that my Mother used to make. So the other night when I couldn't decide what to make, I went back to one of my favourites - crêpes.

I was always my Mother's helper when she made crêpes. She used an 10" cast iron skillet that was perfectly seasoned. The first crêpe she made was usually a bust. She would adjust her temperature and I would snack on the malformed crêpe. One by one, her perfectly formed crêpes would be tossed on a plate for me to fill. We always filled the crêpes with either jam (strawberry, raspberry, grape), or sugar. Occasionally she would let me use Nutella. My mother always made sweet crêpes. I had never had a savory crêpe until last year. It was good, but I prefer sweet.

Crêpes are not difficult to make. They are made from a simple batter and cook quickly. You do not need a special crêpe pan - I use an 10" nonstick skillet with curved sides. You will need a spatula to flip. Or, if you are skilled enough, you can flip them using the pan and a flick of your wrist. I managed to do this on my third attempt (so proud). It's too risky though, so I will stick with using my spatula!

Crêpes

Ingredients

1 cup of flour
1 cup of milk (2% is best, but will work with skim)
1/2 cup water
4 eggs
1/2 stick of butter, melted
3 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt

Preparation

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender. You will want to blend until the batter is smooth (scrape down the sides if necessary). Place the batter in refrigerator for 1 hour (this allows the batter to set).

Heat 10" nonstick skillet over medium heat. Either spray the pan with cooking spray, or add some butter to the pan. Once the pan is hot (the spray, or butter should not be smoking) remove the pan from heat, and pour 1/4 cup of the batter onto the pan. You'll want to quickly tilt/rotate the pan so that the batter spreads evenly over the bottom, then return it to the heat. Cook until the crêpe bubbles and the underside is lightly browned. Gently flip the crêpes using your spatula. Cook until second side is lightly browned (not even 30 seconds). Slide crêpe off onto pan. Repeat until batter is gone.

To fill the crêpes, spread (or sprinkle if you're using sugar) 1-2tbsp of your chosen filling onto the crêpe and roll. You can also make a cake by spreading each crêpe with a thin layer of jam, and then layering them. Sprinkle with sugar to finish.

Side note: If you live in the Binghamton area you have to visit Crêpe Heaven in Johnson City. The food is simple, fresh, made from scratch, affordable and pretty damn tasty. The coffee is also rocking, they even serve Turkish Coffee. The owner is always there and is super friendly. So please, go eat there. You will not be disappointed!