Time again for Sweet Melissa Sundays, our treat today is crepes! Called Mom's French Pancakes in The Sweet Melissa Baking Book, this recipe is from author Melissa Murphy's great grandmother and loved by all in her family. Thank you to Jaime of Good Eats and Sweet Treats, who picked this recipe for us to try. You can find this recipe here at Jaime's blog if you do not have the book.
The kids and I absolutely love crepes and I was so happy to make this recipe because I hadn't made crepes in a long time. Picky husband doesn't like crepes, can you believe that? Apparently it's a texture thing, although I'm not sure how anyone could not enjoy a delicate crepe enveloping a plethora of filling combinations.
Sweet crepes, savory crepes, doesn't matter which to me, they have always been a favorite. If there are crepes on the menu at a restaurant I will probably order them. I'm especially fond of savory crepes, ricotta or vegetable filled, with a cream or red sauce...mmm.
I used to try to make crepes on my own without much success, then about five years ago I got the VillaWare Grand Crepe Maker and have enjoyed using it since. I don't know if they still make the "Grand" crepe maker -- that makes 10 inch crepes, but I know a smaller model VillaWare Crepe Maker is available -- which makes 7 and 1/2 inch crepes.
I know I'm a bit of a kitchen gadget junkie but I have to give props to this little contraption for helping my crepes come out beautifully every time :)
This recipe is really simple and comes together in a blender, much like my favorite crepe recipe from Alton Brown does. The end result are beautiful crepes, an empty canvas for whatever sweet topping you can think up. I went traditional with these since I had some extra strawberry sauce I had made a few days earlier for strawberry shortcake sitting in the fridge. Simply filled with whipped cream, topped with strawberry sauce and a dusting of powdered sugar, these were a delicious brunch treat.
I did made one tiny change -- the recipe calls for 1 and 1/2 cups whole milk, instead I used 1 cup skim milk and 1/2 cup cream -- which in my mind pretty much equals whole milk anyway, right? ;) The kids absolutely loved these, as did I -- what a wonderful treat!
Simple Strawberry Sauce
4 cups fresh hulled and thinly sliced strawberries
about 1/2 cup white sugar (you might need more depending on how sweet your berries are, adjust to taste)
Toss strawberries in sugar and put in a covered container in the fridge. Leave them to macerate in the fridge for 12-48 hours before serving. -- If you do not have time to wait, you can microwave your sugared strawberries for about 2 minutes, while that will not release as much of the juices, you should still have a decent sauce.