over the past decade i have travelled a lot and often time brought with me the most authentic thing i could from my native land: maple syrup. the province of quebec in canada where i was born, is the largest producer of maple syrup in the world. outside of quebec this sweet delicious elixir is rather hard to find, and most definitely expensive. so what better way to treat people or to thank them than to offer a little of that golden sweetness?
today i simply want to share a delicious way of enjoying maple syrup, and since i am french, the very first thing that comes to mind are of course the famous french crêpes! they are easy to make, versatile, and oh-so-delicious.
ingredients
1 cup ~ 250ml -flour
1/4 tsp ~ 1ml -salt
2 tbsp ~ 30ml -sugar
2 -large eggs -or 3 small ones
1.5 cup ~ 375ml -milk
1 tsp ~ 5ml -vanilla extract
1 tbsp ~ 15ml -melted butter
1 tsp ~ 5ml -cognac -optional
• the best and easiest way to have a smooth batter for those crêpes is to use a blender, food processor, or even a hand mixer.
• simply put all your ingredients together and mix until you have a perfectly smooth texture.
• then let the batter rest for about an hour at room temperature.
• heat a non-stick pan and brush a touch of butter before pouring a bit of batter into it.
• medium-high heat is best.
• turn or move the pan slightly to spread the batter evenly ~ you want your crêpes to be thin.
• cook the crêpe until it is golden. you can see this colour progression on the edge of the crêpe or else you can lift it a little to look at the underside. another good point of reference are the tiny air bubbles that come up through the batter. as seen in the picture on the left.
• then flip the crêpe onto its other side and cook it for a few more seconds.
• you can make all the crêpes one at a time and pile them on a plate that you keep warm (usually in a low heat oven).
• then serve with a drizzle of maple syrup and whatever else your heart desires.
please note that this recipe is for sweet crêpes. if you want to enjoy them with savory garnishes (ie. ham and cheese), simply omit the sugar (and of course the cognac).
this recipe makes approximately 12 thin crêpes about 18 cm in diameter or 7 inches.
see how different each side looks: one is very golden-looking and the other is rather patterned. also note how thin those crêpes should be in relation to the size of a fork.
if you don’t have maple syrup
one of my favourite alternative is with seasonal fruit and sweet condensed milk ~ very yummy. and i also love crêpes with dulce de leche from argentina ~ oolala.
please let me know if you enjoy the crepes by leaving me a comment ~ thanks!
