Pancake Day! Savory Crepes

“Eggs, milk, and wheat.  That’s nutrition!”  All I could think of when I realized it was Pancake Day was Bill Cosby’s “chocolate cake for breakfast” routine.  I did the same mental gymnastics as he did; I made a list of the ingredients in crepes and realized, that unlike Bill Cosby’s routine, crepes would  actually fall within my new meal plan.  After all, the only ingredients in crepes are eggs, flour and milk . . . and then whatever else you want to add to them. 

When I lived in Bristol, England, there was a Dutch pancake house we used to go to – especially on Pancake Day (for those of you who don’t know, Pancake Day is also known as Mardi Gras, Carnival, Shrove Tuesday, etc. The tradition of eating pancakes arose from people using up their eggs, flour and milk in preparation for Lent.)  The first time I ever went to this pancake house in Bristol, my American mind was very confused.  I was expecting something like an IHOP, so when we sat down and I looked at the menu and they had savory pancakes, with things like spinach and chicken and cheese, I was very skeptical.  But when the “pancakes” were brought out from the kitchen, it turned out they were really crepes, crepes the size of your head, with tons of ooey gooey cheese.  So delicious!

Now that I am avoiding all sweets, I knew I couldn’t have American style pancakes for breakfast, so I thought for dinner I would try to re-create the savory crepes I remember so fondly from my days in England.  I hadn’t made crepes since high school French class!  Honestly, I had forgotten how easy they were to make.  I may just add this to my family recipe repertoire now.  We only had one misshap, where I dropped the plate I was intending to use to take my “finished product” shot, so you’ll have to make do with the “in progress” shot because Aaron and I were too busy sweeping up broken bits of plate and melted cheese from the floor to remember to take a picture.

Here’s the recipe I used:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 3 tbs melted butter
• whatever fillings you want (can be sweet or savory)

1. Whisk together the eggs, flour and ½ cup of the milk until smooth.  Then slowly add the rest of the milk until the consistency of the batter is like heavy cream. 
2. Once the batter is smooth, with no lumps, put the bowl in the fridge while you prep everything else (cut up whatever fillings you want, melt the butter, etc.). 
3. Heat a 9 inch non-stick skillet, coated with a tiny bit of butter, over medium heat until a sprinkle of water sizzles when dropped on it.
4. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter onto the skillet and then pick up the skillet to swirl the batter around to make it coat the pan thinly and evenly.  Cook until the edges turn slightly brown and then flip.  Once you get going, this should only take about 15 seconds per side (the first couple crepes will take a little longer).
5. I added my toppings to the second side before removing from the pan, just so I could melt the cheese.  You can add the toppings either in the pan or after removing from the pan.  It might be easier to do it after because the filled crepes became a little cumbersome to move to the plate. 

This recipe makes 8 crepes, so I have some leftover that I think I might use for making breakfast crepes and filling with eggs and cheese and whatever veggies suit my fancy! Or maybe I'll add some fruit to go with my afternoon snack.


What are your favorite fillings for crepes?

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