Crêpes, a French street-food staple, may look intimidating at first. But these light-as-air marvels are easier to make than you think. Once you nail the crêpe itself, let yourself experiment with tasty, interesting fillings. A très bon addition to your Bastille Day Feast!
BASTILLE DAY
Bastille Day, or French National Day, is celebrated every July 14th. It is a wonderful excuse to whip up delicious French food to share with friends and family and there’s nothing more French than a crêpe loaded with your favorite filling!
THE BASIC CREPE RECIPE
What you need to make a crêpe: a 12” nonstick skillet, a rubber spatula, and a little bit of patience. The Crêpe recipe ingredients are simple and straightforward, as crepes are made of flour, sugar, salt, whole milk, and eggs. To guarantee a light and fluffy crêpe, thoroughly mix all the ingredients together and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
To achieve the ideal thinness of a crêpe, coat the entire bottom of your skillet and let sit for about 3 minutes. Gently loosen it with the spatula. Because it’s so light, flip it with your fingers. It’s even easier than a pancake.
Once you’ve made your stack of crêpes, it’s time to fill them up with all things delicious! Crêpes are delicious with both savory and sweet fillings, so let your imagination fly.
Not one for toiling over the stove? You can get our delicious pre-made French crepes here! Avaialable classic, caramel and chocolate, you can fill them with your favorite ingredients and snack away, no cooking required.
SWEET CREPES
With sweet crêpes, go simple, with a bit of sugar and lemon. Or go big, with heaps of gooey chocolate, a caramel spread like dulce de leche, and a big dollop of whipped cream.
Jam filled crêpes are perfect for breakfast or dessert with a bit of whipped cream. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of jam or preserves onto the crêpe, fold it in half, then half again et voilà!
For a classic French crepe, combine heavy cream with Chestnut Spread - Creme de Marrons and spread onto the crêpe. Chestnut Spread is quite rich and sugary and the heavy cream smooths it out a touch. Fold into a triangle and indulge.
For a stunning end to your Bastille Day feast, melt some professional quality Valrhona Baking chocolate in a double boiler. Fill the crepe, fold it up, then add a dollop of whipped cream and drizzle on some honey.
Savory crêpes run the gamut of simple ham and cheese to smoked salmon and crème fraiche. You can always stick to the classics or really take off with unusual flavor combinations.
SAVORY CREPES IDEAS
For a great breakfast option (which works just as well for dinner) is egg and sausage. To make this crêpe speak French, combine flavorful Toulouse Sausage, a touch of Raclette cheese, and a perfectly poached egg.
A take on the classic French sandwich of ham and Brie cheese. Melt some rich Brie cheese with some succulent ham and you will be transported to the streets of Paris. Add a touch of French Dijon Mustard to really make this crêpe sing.
Ready to take things up a notch? Cook an assortment of French Forest Mix Wild Mushrooms n some butter for about 8 minutes and add peelings of Black French Truffles, but not too much, they are quite flavorful! Instead of folding up your crepe into a triangle, throw it back into the skillet. Add a bit of shaved Comte cheese and the mushroom mix in the center of the crepe. Crack an egg on top and let cook until the whites have set. Once you dig in, you’ll wonder how something so complex could be so easy to make!
Now that you can make crêpes in your sleep, keep testing out new and exciting flavor combinations. Your friends and family will love you for it! For the full crepe recipe, see below.