Crepes Are an Easy and Elegant Brunch Menu Idea

Cray-pe or Creh-pe, no matter how you say it, the simple French pancake makes an easy and elegant brunch menu idea. They’re incredibly simple to make, and flexible enough that they can be breakfast, lunch, dinner, or late night snack. However, their delicate nature makes them perfectly suitable for the meal between breakfast and lunch.

The American Buttermilk Pancake cannot be compared to the Crepe! Mon deux! The brutish American looks so bourgeois next to the lacy and refined French cousin. You might think they’re related, that a crepe is just a thinned out flapjack, but you’d be wrong. An examination of the makeup and methods shows they’re not related at all.

I wouldn’t call pancakes made in the US an elegant brunch menu idea. It’s more for filling up the farm hands, not for the country club set. This is because American flapjacks are quickbreads. They are leavened chemically. Baking powder and/or baking soda reacts with moisture and acids to release carbon dioxide, making the griddle cakes rise.

But crepes have 6 simple ingredients; eggs, milk, flour, butter, sugar, and salt. There are no chemical leaveners in a crepe batter. Rather, the thin pancake is leavened slightly through the coagulation of egg proteins and escaping moisture. Crepes are more related to custards, popovers, pate choux, and omelets than they are with American pancakes.

My basic crepe formula:
4 ounces flour (by weight)
2 eggs
8 ounces milk
1 ounce sugar
Pinch Salt
1 ounce melted butter

I’ve mixed crepe batter hundreds of times and I believe that mixing the dry ingredients and egg together into a stiff paste, and then adding the milk gives the best results when you’re trying to flip them in a hot sauté pan. Melted butter is incorporated last, and the batter is allowed to rest at least one hour before moving to the stove.

Speaking of hot, the first step in making crepes and creating your own brunch menu idea is to get a small 7-inch omelet pan hot enough that drops of water evaporate immediately when hitting the surface.

Grease the surface of the pan with butter, and a small ladle of crepe batter, barely enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Pick the pan up, swirl it around so that the batter does cover the entire pan in as thin a layer as possible.

Crepes cook very quickly, and as soon as the edges start to dry and brown, it’s time to flip them over. You might be practiced, or just want to show off by flipping the crepe in the air and catching it again. I don’t recommend this unless you’ve got long tongs to get it off the ceiling.

The best and easiest way to flip the crepe is to put a rubber spatula under the near edge of the crepe, tilting the pan to slide it partially onto the spatula. Then, fold it over on top of itself, flipping the other side onto the hot pan.

It needn’t cook for more than 10 seconds after flipping because it’s so thin. Remove the crepe to a piece of parchment or wax paper for later use.

You can stuff anything into crepes and serve them during the day.

Scrambled Eggs, Brie, Dill Crepes
Scrambled Eggs, Ham and Swiss
Chicken Salad and diced apples
Roast Turkey, Bacon, and spicy mayonnaise
Whipped Cream and Strawberries
Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce
Poached Pears and Pudding

You can use your own imagination for crepe fillings, but no matter what you put in there the delicate French crepe will make it look special and fancy. It’s another great brunch menu idea that is quick and easy to make.

See the entire How to Make Crepes video.