 A sweet crêpe opened up, with whipped cream and strawberry sauce on it  A sweet crêpe rolled up, ready to be eaten A crêpe is a thin pancake. It originates from Brittany, a region in the west of France, where it is traditionally served with apple cider. It used to be cooked on flat rocks (where the name comes from). Crêpes are usually of two types: sweet crêpes made with wheat flour, and savoury galettes made with buckwheat flour. They may then be rolled or folded, and filled with different ingredients.
In France, crêpes are traditionally served on Candlemas (La Chandleur), February 2.
Recipe
This recipe for sweet crêpes is an easy one to start with (for about 30 crêpes):
- 500g plain flour
- 1L milk
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp oil or melted butter
- 1 pinch of salt
Put the flour at the bottom of a mixing bowl and make a hole in the middle where you put the eggs, the oil or butter, the salt and a bit of milk. Mix them and slowly incorporate the flour, you should get a thick paste. Then continue mixing and slowly add the rest of the milk, mix well to avoid making lumps. You may add a bit of liqueur (traditionally Brandy or fleur d'oranger) for more taste. You may even replace part or all of the milk by beer! Some people use a blender on the batter and let it refrigerate over night.
Heat a flat cooking pan (non-stick recommended), grease it with some butter, and pour some batter while rolling the pan to make the crêpe as thin as possible. Cooking may take 30 to 60s until the cooked side looks like the moon surface, then turn it over to cook the other side; with some practice, you can flip it in the air by swinging the pan.
Popular sweet toppings in France include sugar (granulated or powdered), sugar and lemon juice, whipped cream, jam, fruit spreads, sliced soft fruits, or Nutella.
See also
Crêpe (also crape) is a type of woven or knitted fabric with a wrinkled surface. Thin crêpe is called crêpe de Chine ("Chinese crêpe").
Crêpe paper is thin paper with a texture like that of crêpe, used in such things as streamers and wrapping paper.
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