Four Generations of Crepes

Growing up, crepes were always a staple in my home. I have early morning memories of devouring crepes with my cousins. I was the only girl, and they ate significantly more than me; they ate the crepes faster than my meme could cook them. I carefully curated each crepe with the best toppings I could find, to really savor every crepe that I could fit into my belly. My favorite thing about crepes is how versatile they are. Sweet, savory, fruity, the options are endless. 

A few weeks ago, we had the very American “breakfast for dinner” with a French twist. Myself, my mom, and my meme all designed our favorite crepes; we even recreated my great memes crepe for nostalgia. It actually turned into a bit of a competition, which usually happens in my family. We used two different crepe recipes, and we all chose different toppings. We used my great memes recipe that calls for regular flour, and my mom and I opted to use buckwheat flour for ours. Below are the recipes that we used. 

As far as toppings are concerned, my great meme used to eat her crepes with a lot of butter and a sprinkle of granulated sugar. My meme did not stray too far from this tradition. She prepared her crepes with butter, sugar, and maple syrup. It seemed fitting as we grew up in New England. My mom strayed as she crafted a crepe with warmed mixed berries, which she cooked in a skillet over the stove on low heat. She rolled her crepe with the berry mixture inside and then drizzled the crepe in honey. As delicious as all these crepes were, I needed something savory. I added all my toppings while I was still cooking the crepes. My favorite crepe consists of shredded gruyere, cured ham, and an egg. After flipping my crepe, I immediately sprinkle the cheese onto the crepe, I then layered the ham. Finally, I cracked an egg on top and folded the sides of the crepes in to keep the egg from escaping. Once the egg was cooked and the cheese was gooey, I sprinkled them with cracked black pepper. 

The Buckwheat Crepe Recipe: 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 egg
• 2 cups of water
• pinch of salt
• Butter to grease the pan 

My Memes Crepe Recipe: 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup of flour 
• 1 egg
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• Butter to grease the pan 

Instructions: 

1. Wisk. In a bowl, whisk the flour, eggs, water, and salt until the batter is smooth. 
2. Melt. Place the crepe pan on the stove top, on medium heat. My favorite crepe pan is linked below. Place the butter in the pan and let it melt. 
3. Pour. Once the butter is fully melted and the pan is warm, pour the batter onto the pan. Use a Rateau to evenly distribute the crepe batter. 
4. Flip. As the crêpe cooks, you’ll see the edges start to curl up and away from the pan. This is a sign that the crêpe is ready to be flipped. Flip and cook for another 30-60 seconds. 
5. Create. Add desired fillings, and experiment with all the different flavors. 
6. Enjoy. Enjoy the precious family time that a crepe initiates.