A Guest Post, Light French Crepes
Crepes Suzette courtesy Elsa La Pintade Aixouse
This beautiful recipe comes all the way from France from the beautiful Elsa of La Pintade Aixoise. Now anyone who has read my blog on a fairly consistent basis knows I am a big fan of Julia child. I have used her recipe for crepes for much longer than I care to admit and it’s perfect, I love it, but I am always excited to try a new recipe especially one that is “light. Elsa’s crepes contain no butter in the batter and I was skeptical but you know what, it really produces a wonderfully light crepe. Who knew. I always trust the French when it comes to the culinary arts, they know their stuff. This post was actually supposed to be a part of my basics series a few months ago but Elsa had a baby and was away from blogging for a while. I am so happy she is back and posting again. I do love her blog, there are several fantastic blogs that I follow from France and they are all amazing. Look at her post for the classic Crepe Suzette or her gorgeous Macaron or her Apple Cardamom Tarts
I had to try her recipe and it was easy to make and the crepes are perfect. Be sure to let your batter sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Have melted butter and brush ready to brush onto your crepe pan and make sure the pan is hot enough before adding the batter and swirl and swirl so that you have a thin coating on the entire pan. It’s really easy and crepes are always impressive and I love that they can be breakfast or an elegant dinner or dessert. The recipe makes a lot of crepes, I like to freeze them with a sheet of parchment in between each crepe and slipped into a ziplock bag. Remove what you need let come to room temperature and heat in the oven or quickly in a fry pan.
Breakfast crepes
Light french crêpes
Unlike pancakes, the french crêpes are very thin. The light can be seen through.
For 20 items of 8 inches diameter :
Pastry flour: 8.8 ounce
Salt: 2 pinch
Eggs: 4 large
Half fat milk: 2 US cups
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A flavor of your choice:
1tsp of rhum or triple sec (orange alcool),
1tsp of orange flower water,
1 packet of vanilla sugar,
a grated citrus peel…
+
Butter or shortening for cooking
Pour pastry flour and salt in a bowl. Dig a well and put eggs into it.
Stir with a whisk. Keep carefully stirring in the center of the bowl, flour and eggs will stir together and lumps will be avoided.
Add 1/3 milk and the flavor of your choice, keep stirring at the center. Then add little by little the rest of the milk till the batter be completely homogeneous.
Whisk firmly two or three time perfectly scrubbing the edges of the bowl.Let the batter rest during an hour before cooking.
Stir the batter.
In a hot 8 inches diameter frying pan, let melt a 1/2 tsp of butter and drop the excendent with absorbing paper. Stir on the frying pan a 1/4 cup of the batter.
Turn quickly the frying pan to spread the batter very thinly all over it.
When edges of the crêpe get golden and move away from the frying pan, flip the crêpe with a wooden spatula and get the other side golden.
apuginthekitchen 
My father-in-law has been making crepes for us for as long as I can remember. They are similar to Julia Childs too, so these are very very interesting to me. I’ve also been a little infatuated with Mille Crepe Cakes lately. I so want to make one – have you?
I’ve also wanted to make one but have never. They are beautiful and I am sure delicious. Elsa’s crepes are lovely!!
I think I might try them. Congratulations to Elsa’s and the new baby.
I love French Crepes. Savory more than the sweet ones. The favorite combo for me is spinach mushrooms and ricotta. Will surely try the “lighter” version !
I love savory also, one of my favorite treats when I was a child was going to “Magic Pan” the savory crepes were wonderful!
🙂
Our family is a fan of crepes and it is a favorite with the children…I’m sure they would like to have them everyday 🙂
I’m going to have to agree with your children I think I could eat them every day too!
Looks wonderful–I have not made crepes myself but will need to try sometime!
They are wonderful, so light, and very versatile unlike regular pancakes, I remember my Mom using a crepe recipe for homemade Manicotti! Thank you so much.
They certainly know how to make crepes! 😉 They look wonderful! I wonder how they would taste with ham and swiss cheese … to die for I guess! 😉
Oh yes, ham and swiss or any nice melty cheese is delicious!! I used to order one with ham and asparagus and there was some sort of melty cheesy sauce, YUM!
I love to make crepes, and am interested in this version! I’m all for lightening up the foods I love. And I saw your comment above – I used to go to the Magic Pan in Boston all the time as a treat !
I wonder if they are still around, I used to love to go there, crepes were always something that I found so elegant and delicious. Never knew how simple they are to make. Thanks so much Susan.
These look perfect, Suzanne. Love this lightened up version, I’ll have to give them a try. Thanks for the freezing tip as well!
Thank you, they are amazing and you would never know that butter is missing. They are so light and the perfect texture.
Love this healthier version of crepes. I just adore crepes they are so versatile. Your presentation is gorgeous!
Thanks so much Cheri!
I just read this and already told my 8 yr old he’s having crepes this weekend x
LOL, I’ll be eating crepes for a week. I still have batter to make. I am going to make manicotti I think. Thanks so much, lucky 8 year old!!
I love crepe:) looks amazing.. Never trier you inspire me to cook
Thank you so much, what a lovely thing to say.
Beautiful, beautiful and delicious! You just keep the bar so high, Suzanne! 😉
Oh thank you so much Christina. Elsa’s recipe is so good!
Elsa’s crepes look beautiful! Light and thin crepe filled with berries and topped with candied orange peel. Thank you for presenting Elsa and her recipe. 😛
I love Elsa’s recipe which for me was a revelation I always followed Julia’s and used butter and whole milk. This uses low fat and no butter. I’ll take any calorie and fat saving ideas I can get.
Amen. 🙂 (Except if we are desperate for butter. 😦 )
Butter is my middle name!!
[swoon …] These are the pancakes my mother used to make on every Pancake Tuesday (the night before Ash Wednesday), which she would fold over once from each side and sprinkle with sugar and lemon-juice. We got through a terrifying number, each ! 🙂 She said it was a French recipe, and we accepted that without surprise; for she was a complete and total francophile and THOUGHT in French. She taught it. She was President of the Alliance Française. She was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques for services to the French language.
No, there was no doubt in our minds that these incredibly delicious things were, like, FRENCH ! 😀
How wonderful, your Mother sounds amazing. It must have been so much fun to practically be immersed in the French culture as a child. Yes the sugar and lemon juice I have heard of it but never tried. I know they do the same on Dutch Babies. Thank you so much I loved your comment.
I’m not usually so prolific on the subject of my mama: we didn’t get on all that well, mostly.
I think I’ve reached the stage where I regret that.
I totally understand that, for me it was my Dad who I didn’t get along with. I regret that,
These are perfection Suzanne! French recipes are real hits!
Viviana, thank you so much. I had a very good recipe to work with and I love French food!
Classic French crepes! They look wonderful Suzanne – so light and delicate!
These are extra light, almost like a tissue. So delicate and delicious. Thank you so much.
I love french crepes… But making them is an art in my book 🙂
Thank you Anatoli, they are wonderful, I have never made crepe suzette, that I will try next, I’m scared of flambe’
Oh gosh, this is phenomenal, Suzanne: I adore good crepes Suzette. And these just look great!
Me too, crepe suzette is one of my favorite desserts but I have a fear of flambe’ so I have never made it, I suppose you could do it without setting on fire but it wouldn’t be the same. The crepes I can make if I could find someone to do the flames. Thanks so much Stefano.
I haven’t made crepes in ages. This recipe looks wonderful!
It is a wonderful recipe Christin, hope you give it a try and visit Elsa’s beautiful site! Thank you so much.
Mouthwatering!!
Thanks so much Lori!
Your crepes look delicious and perfect, Suzanne. I make crepes very often and this is one of my first dessert that I learned to prepare with my mother when I was a child. Great recipe 🙂
Thank you so much, I love their versatility and they are so delicious.
What a stunning recipe Suzanne. I hadn’t discovered Elsa’s site, thanks for sharing the link… such a lovely blog (though my French is terrible… I need to brush up!). It’s been a very long time since I made crepes, though I did recently reinvest in a crepe pan so it’s an opportune moment! Lovely guest post. Yay for talented blogging friends xx
Thanks so much Laura, I love Elsa’s recipes. It had been a while since I had made crepes also and I love this recipe, the crepes are light and just the perfect texture and because I used lowfat milk and no butter they are a little better for the waist line.
I love them so much! It’s just that it’s so bad for my weight… Beautiful pictures. I love the dishes. 🙂
Thank you so much Stephane. The crepes are an occasional indulgence. Coming from you whose photo’s are gorgeous this is a supreme compliment, thank you. I love those dishes they are very old and I love them too!
You are a cruel cruel woman. I Iove crepes and I am starving right now. These look incredible. Emma xx
Oh Emma I don’t mean to be cruet, LOL. They are such a wonderful treat.
They look light enough to float away. Better get the pugs to keep an eye on them, so they aren’t all over your ceiling. 🙂
They really are as light as a feather, thanks so much! Anytime I cook the pugs stand at attention making sure everything stays put. They would love to snag one before it floats away!! LOL!!!
Those crepes look wonderful Suzanne. I made some for Charlottes birthday breakfast but they looked nothing like yours. Beautiful!
How wonderful that you made crepes for Charlottes birthday breakfast, they are so perfect for special occasions. Thanks so much Lidia!!
Love crepe recipes- definitely got to try these out! Look fantastic! 🙂
Thanks so much Jess, me too, love crepes!!
I have made pancakes but never crepes, although I love to eat them when I go to France. I have always thought my frying pan wouldn’t be big enough or that I wouldn’t be able to get then thin enough – now I think I should just give it a go.
You should the trick is to add a little batter and swirl it around the pan it’s ok if it goes slightly up on the side a little it’s supposed to. You don’t need a very big pan. Just make sure it’s good and hot, brushed with butter and that you give it a real good swirl. Hope you try and thank you.
Perfect crepes? What could be better? These look amazing, Suzanne, and would agree that they’re a basic skill that can take a cook in many directions. Crepes for breakfast, snack, lunch, supper, dessert, snack again… Viva la crepe 🙂
Totally agree, crepes are really versatile and I think every cook should have a good crepe recipe and skills in their repertoire. Thanks Liz.
Absolutely LOVE crepes. You’ve inspired me to make some. YUM!
Oh me too!, thanks so much Melissa.
Those crepes with berries look about perfect. I’m with you, I’ve only made crepes with butter in the batter– but I trust you for a lighter good version. thanks!
It’s a really good recipe and I never thought of not adding butter. It works and works well. Thanks so much Rhonda.
So beautiful and delicate. You should sell those images to a French restaurant!
Oh thank you so much Cindy. The crepes were fantastic!
Never realised you can make crepes without the wooden stick thing (I don’t know the name) that the French use for spreading the batter and getting them really thin. Of course, maybe they only use them for very wide, flat stoves that they use. I’ve never bothered to make them as I always thought they would turn out too thick – maybe it’s just me that’s thick!
Yes I know exactly what you are referring to and the pans are huge!!!, that stick thing spreads the batter evenly and very thinly. Using a normal sized pan the swirl method works perfectly you simply pour some batter in the middle lift and swirl it around the pan until it’s thinly and evenly coated. It works like a charm.
Beautiful crepes, Suzanne. 🙂
Thank you so much Patty, if only I had your camera skills.