Basic Crepes

To prepare for a family get-together for my Mom’s and Niece’s birthday this past weekend, I started by planning to make their favorite entrees.  My Mom’s favorite entrée is Manicotti, so this was a must have on the menu.  The crepe recipe for the Manicotti was originally given to us by my Aunt Marion and my Mom used it every time she made Manicotti for as long as I can remember.

It takes a few steps to prepare the Manicotti, so I usually make the crepes a few days in advance.  If you store the crepes properly they can be made in advance and there is no change in texture or flavor.  There are tons of recipes that can be made with these crepes but my family had only ever used them for Manicotti.  I’ll have to find other filling recipes that would be wonderful with these crepes too.

Stay tuned for the remaining recipes to make the Manicotti.

Enjoy.

Beat the eggs.

Beating in the water and salt.

Start mixing in the flour.

After the flour is completely incorporated, the batter is ready for cooking.

A crepe ready to be turned over.

All finished and ready to be stored until it’s time to assemble the Manicotti.

Crepes

Yield:  20 – 25 5 inch crepes                Cook Time:  30 – 60 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups water
• 4 large eggs (extra large works too)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or more to taste

Directions:

Step 1:  Beat the eggs in a large bowl with a whisk or fork.  Add the water and salt to the eggs and beat until incorporated.  Add flour in small increments to mixture and beat to incorporate.  Repeat until all the flour is combined.  Try to dissipate any lumps that may have formed (especially any larger ones) but it’s okay if a few small lumps remain.

Step 2:  To form the crepes, coat a heavy fry pan or cast iron fry pan with cooking spray.  Heat pan on medium until hot.

Step 3:  Pour about 1 ounce of mixture into the pan (I use a miniature ladle to make this easier) and immediately lift the pan off the heat and tilt pan to spread the mixture into a five inch circle.  Typically I pour the mixture onto one edge of the pan and then let the mixture spread into the rest of the pan.

Step 4:  Return the pan to the heat and cook until most of the batter becomes loses its shine and looks matte.  There will be little, if any, browning.  Using a fork or spatula, gently flip the crepe and cook for 30  seconds.

Step 5:  Remove the crepe from the pan and place on the edge of a plate.  Repeat until all the batter is finished.  After each crepe is finished, place it on the plate overlapping the previous crepe with a slight offset until all the crepes are finished and the plate is ringed with crepes.

To store the crepes:  Cover the plate with plastic wrap and ensure that all the crepes are covered completely, so they don’t dry out.  These can be stored this way for three or four days.  If the crepes get a little bit dry, they will be re-hydrated when they are made into Manicotti.

Enjoy!!!

Recipe from my Aunt.