Crepes

VIVE LA FRANCE - No it's not Bastille Day.  It's the first day of the 2016 Tour de France! VIVE Le Tour! What better way to celebrate than to make some crepes.

Crepes (Adapated from here, there, and everywhere)

3/4 c milk
3/4 c water
3 eggs
2T sugar
1t vanilla
5T melted butter
1 c flour
Additional butter for the pan

Buzz all the ingredients in the blender until well blended. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Heat a crepe pan on low/med heat. Add a small amount of butter. Quickly pour a scant amount of batter into pan and swirl in pan so it spreads. The amount will depend on your pan size (mine takes about 1/4 c). Cook until lightly browned. The batter will look slightly dry on top. Flip and cook until lightly browned (it will take less time on this side). The first crepe generally is for the chef (it tends to brown a little too much). Place on a plate. Stack crepes on top of one another to stay warm (They will not stick to one another). You might not need to add additional butter to the pan. To fill crepes: place filling in the center of crepe (do not overfill), leaving about a 1" border. Fold in half and then half again.

Still looks a little moist-not quite ready for flipping

Lightly browned

Fold in half

And half again

Now for fillings - the list is endless. You can go simple or complicated. That's the joy of crepes. Nutella plain or with some berries is always a nice choice (since they're in season). Sliced bananas will do well with the Nutella.  Just plain old jam works well too. As far as savory, some sauteed mushrooms or  shredded chicken and cheese are nice. If you want to use a savory filling, omit the sugar and vanilla in the batter.

Do not cut short the resting time of the batter (you can even let it sit overnight0. By buzzing the flour in the blender, you have gotten the gluten all excited. It needs to calm down before cooking.

This is the crepe pan I have. I think that having the right pan makes all the difference in crepe making. It's not a huge investment but gives plenty rewards. There is nothing more frustrating than crepes that stick! The temperature of the pan makes a big difference too. You do not want the pan to be too hot nor too cold. You may spend the first two or three crepes adjusting the temperature.

Crepes also freeze quite nicely. When completely cooled, wrap the stack quite well and freeze. Defrost in refrigerator. DO NOT attempt to separate them when they are cold. Let sit at room temperature. Arrange on a baking sheet and heat at 250 for about 10 minutes.

What a great first stage to the TDF. Congrats to Cav (his first yellow jersey).