Crepes

I've seen and used a number of different recipes for crepes, but this one is pretty satisfactory and, best of all, easy. Just use a hand-mixer or blender. Adapted from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, which has been worth every cent I paid for it.

Yield: about 20 7-inch crepes (typical crepe pans make closer to 10-inch crepes)

1 c. whole milk
1 c. all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
6 T. water
3 T. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 t. salt
Additional butter or margarine for greasing the pan.

For dessert crepes add:
2-3 T. sugar
1 t. vanilla

1. Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender or food processor until smooth, about 4 seconds. Transfer to a covered contained and refrigerate the batter for 2 hours. (Up to 2 days.)
2. Gently stir the batter to combine if it appears to have separated. Heat a non-stick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. Brush the pan bottom and sides lightly with butter; the butter should sizzle when it touches the pan.
3. Scoop crepe batter into the pan. (Around 2 1/2 T. for a 7" crepe, closer to a full 1/4 c. for a 10" crepe.) Quickly swirl the pan around with your wrist so that the batter thinly and evenly coats the pan; the batter should begin to set and cook nearly instantly.
4. Set the pan back on the heat and cook for 30-60 seconds, until the side is a spotty golden brown. The edges of the crepe should get a little crispy; scrape down the edges just a little and slide a spatula or rubber scraper under them until an edge comes loose enough to slide something under it.
   
5. Flip the crepe and continue to cook for about 30 seconds, until the second side is a spotty golden brown.
6. Transfer the crepe to a paper-towel lined plate and let cool.
7. Repeat with the remaining crepe batter. You can set cooked crepes on top of each other.
   

Tips:

• I've used skim milk instead of whole and margarine instead of unsalted butter. As I recall, it worked fine. But following the recipe when you can might offer best results.
  
• If you're using salted butter or margarine, you can reduce the amount of salt in the recipe. I don't recall finding the recipe too salty if I didn't adjust the amount of salt, though. You may want to reduce the amount of salt slightly for dessert crepes and keep it at this level for savory crepes.
• My preference, when possible, is to use a real crepe pan, which is flat and has only very shallow, gently sloping sides. It also helps to have an appropriate implement for sliding under the crepe and flipping it. (Street crepe venders use something shaped like a very thin T for this purpose, but with a small pan I like to use what looks like a thin wooden paddle with a pointed end and nearly sharp edges.) You can also use a heat-resistant spatula or rubber scraper to slide around and just under the edges of the crepe to loosen the edges and check to see how done the crepe is on the underside.
• Count on ruining the first crepe or two and probably the last while you adjust the heat, the amount of butter in the pan, and the amount of batter you add for each crepe.
  
• If you don't have a blender or mixer, this recipe becomes more difficult. Sift the flour and salt together in a medium bowl. Whisk the egg, milk, water, and melted butter together in another bowl. Gradually whisk the liquid mixture into the flour mixture; you may want to pass the mixture through a sieve to remove any remaining lumps.
• Crepes can be made ahead, double-wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. To defrost, thaw the crepes in the refrigerator for a day before filling and rolling.
  
• Serve dessert crepes with fruit fillings, sugar and a little lemon juice, hazelnut spreads like Nutella, butter or margarine with a little sugar, cream cheese with a little jam or preserves, etc. Yoghurt, ice cream, custard, and pudding might also work nicely as sweet fillings.
  
• Savory crepes can be topped with, for example, thin slices of ham or other deli meats, egg, sliced vegetables or mushrooms with herbs, different kinds of cheeses, etc. Yum!